The Brown-backed Rice Planthopper or Brown planthopper or BPH

 

Common name :

    The Brown-backed Rice Planthopper or Brown planthopper or BPH

Scientific name:

    Nilaparvata lugens

Order:

    Hemiptera

Family:

    Delphacidae

Distribution:

    South-east Asia, China, Japan, Korea, Micronesia, Australia, India, Bangladesh, Papua and New Guinea.

Host:

    Rice, sugarcane and grasses.

    The nymphs are brownish-black in colour and have greyish-blue eyes. The brownish adults with brown eyes are 3.5 to 4.5 mm in length. Their legs are light brown and the tarsal claws are black. The wings are hyaline with brown markings and dark veins.

Life-cycle:

    After emergence, the female starts egg laying within 3-10 days and inserts the egg masses by lacerating the parenchymal tissues. A female lays on an average 124 egg masses comprising 2-11 eggs per egg mass. The eggs are somewhat dark, cylindrical, having two distinct spots. They hatch within 4-8 days. Freshly emerged nymphs start feeding on young leaves. During their development, they moull five times and become adults in 2-3 weeks. The life-cycle is completed in 18-24 days, 38-44 days and 18-35 days during June-October, November-January and February-April, respectively, in southern parts of India.

    Anagrus optabilis Perk., Oligaosita sp., Tetrastichus sp., Haplogonatopus sp. parasitize the eggs of this pest. Both nymphs and adults are also parasitized by Haplogonatopus sp. Beauvaria bassiana Balsamor Vuillemin is pathogenic on N. lugens.

Damage:

    This pest is a vector of rice-grassy stunt virus. The nymphs and adults suck the plant sap and inject a toxic saliva causing the development of rusty spots and lines which is followed by general drying of the tissues. It causes 'hopper burns’ in severe cases.

Losses:

    The data on losses due to brown planthopper (BPH) in the la fields in Andhra Pradesh on different varieties of rice were assessed. The yield ranged from 26.7 per cent to 44 per cert with the average being 32.8 per However, the losses assessed on the experimental plots in the state against this hopper during rabi and kharif were 47.1 and 92.5 per cent, respectively.

Control:

1. Dust the infested crop with carbaryl 5% or lindane 1.3%@ 25 kg/ha.
2. Spray with 625 g of carbaryl 50 WP or 625 g of fenthion 82.5 EC or 2 litres of quinalphos 25 EC or 1 litre of chlorpyriphos 20 EC, in 250 litres of water/ha. The spray must be directed towards the base of the plant.