Major Pests and Diseases of Rice (Oryza sativa)
Major Insect Pests of Rice
Pest Name |
Scientific Name |
Damage Symptoms |
Season/Condition |
Rice Stem Borer |
Scirpophaga incertulas |
Dead heart in vegetative stage; White ear head in reproductive stage |
Kharif & Rabi; high humidity |
Brown Plant Hopper (BPH) |
Nilaparvata lugens |
Hopper burn (dry patches), stunted growth |
High humidity; excessive nitrogen |
Green Leaf Hopper (GLH) |
Nephotettix virescens |
Transmits Tungro virus; yellowing of leaves |
Rainy season |
Rice Hispa |
Dicladispa armigera |
Scraping of leaves; reduced photosynthesis |
Post-monsoon |
Major Diseases of Rice
Disease Name |
Causal Organism |
Symptoms |
Favorable Condition |
Blast (Leaf/Neck) |
Magnaporthe oryzae |
Spindle-shaped lesions; neck rot |
High humidity; low temperature |
Bacterial Leaf Blight |
Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae |
Yellowing, wilting, water-soaked streaks |
Warm, humid condition |
Sheath Blight |
Rhizoctonia solani |
Irregular lesions on leaf sheath |
Dense canopy; high N-use |
Sheath Rot |
Sarocladium oryzae |
Rotting of sheath with dirty patches |
High humidity |
Tungro Virus Disease |
Rice tungro bacilliform virus |
Yellow-orange leaf color; stunted growth |
Transmitted by GLH |
False Smut |
Ustilaginoidea virens |
Greenish balls (smut balls) on panicle |
Humid condition post-anthesis |
Brown Spot |
Bipolaris oryzae |
Brown circular spots with yellow halo |
Poor nutrition, seed-borne |
Major Pests and Diseases of Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Major Insect Pests of Wheat
Pest Name |
Scientific Name |
Damage Symptoms |
Season/Condition |
Termites |
Odontotermes spp., Microtermes spp. |
Wilting, hollow roots and stems |
Moist warm soil |
Shoot Fly |
Atherigona naqvii |
Dead heart in seedlings |
Early sown wheat |
Pink Stem Borer |
Sesamia inferens |
Dead heart, bored stems |
Common in warm areas |
Aphids |
Rhopalosiphum maidis, Sitobion avenae |
Sap-sucking; reduced vigour; sooty mold |
Cool and humid season |
Major Diseases of Wheat
Disease Name |
Causal Organism |
Symptoms |
Favorable Condition |
Rusts (Three types) |
|||
– Yellow Rust (Stripe) |
Puccinia striiformis |
Yellow stripes on leaves |
Cool and moist |
– Brown Rust (Leaf) |
Puccinia triticina |
Brown pustules on leaves |
Moderate temperature |
– Black Rust (Stem) |
Puccinia graminis tritici |
Elongated black pustules on stems and leaves |
Warm temperature |
Powdery Mildew |
Erysiphe graminis f.sp. tritici |
White powdery patches on leaves and stems |
Cool, humid conditions |
Karnal Bunt |
Neovossia indica |
Partial blackening of grains; fishy odor |
Cool & humid during anthesis |
Loose Smut |
Ustilago tritici |
Black, powdery spores in place of grains |
Systemic; seed-borne |
Alternaria Leaf Blight |
Alternaria triticina |
Brown concentric spots on leaves |
Late season; moist condition |
Flag Smut |
Urocystis agropyri |
Twisting of flag leaf; black streaks |
Low temperature |
Fusarium Head Blight |
Fusarium graminearum |
Bleaching of spikelets; pink mold on grains |
Wet and warm flowering period |