Major Pests and Diseases of Rice and Wheat and Their Management

Rice:

• Pests:

Rice Stem Borer (Scirpophaga excerptalis)

• Symptoms: Yellowing of leaves, dead heart, and top shoots damaged.
• Management:
  • Use resistant varieties.
  • Apply insecticides like Chlorpyrifos.
  • Use of pheromone traps for monitoring and mass trapping.

• Rice Brown Planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens)
  • Symptoms: Yellowing of leaves, stunting, and reduced plant height.
  • Management:
    • Use resistant varieties.
    • Apply systemic insecticides like Imidacloprid.
    • Maintain proper water management to prevent spread.

• Whitebacked Planthopper (Sogatella furcifera)
  • Symptoms: Wilting and yellowing of leaves, stunted growth.
  • Management:
    • Use of resistant varieties.
    • Application of neonicotinoids like Thiamethoxam.
    • Proper use of biological control agents like spiders.

• Rice Hispa (Dicladispa armigera)
  • Symptoms: Whitish streaks on leaves, defoliation.
  • Management:
    • Use of resistant varieties.
    • Apply Pyrethroids like Cypermethrin.
    • Hand-picking and destruction of infested leaves.

• Diseases:
• Rice Blast (Magnaporthe oryzae)
  • Symptoms: Oval-shaped lesions with gray centers and dark borders on leaves, panicles, and nodes.
  • Management:
    • Use resistant varieties.
    • Apply fungicides like Tricyclazole and Carbendazim.
    • Proper water management (avoid stagnant water).

• Sheath Blight (Rhizoctonia solani)
  • Symptoms: Water-soaked lesions on leaf sheaths, leading to wilting.
  • Management:
    • Use resistant varieties.
    • Apply Pesticides like Hexaconazole or Fluopyram.
    • Avoid excess nitrogen fertilization.

• Bacterial Leaf Blight (Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae)
  • Symptoms: Water-soaked lesions that later turn yellow, leading to plant death.
  • Management:
    • Use resistant varieties.
    • Apply Copper-based fungicides.
    • Avoid planting in areas with poor drainage.

1. • Rice Tungro Virus (RTV)
     • Symptoms: Yellowing of leaves, stunting, and reduced panicle size.
     • Management:
       • Control vector insects like planthoppers using insecticides.
       • Remove infected plants from fields.

Wheat:

Pests:

• Wheat Stem Sawfly (Cephus cinctus)
  • Symptoms: Damaged stems, wilting, and lodging.
  • Management:
    • Plant wheat varieties that are resistant to stem damage.
    • Use biological control using parasitic wasps.
    • Apply insecticides like Lambda-Cyhalothrin.

• Wheat Aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi)
  • Symptoms: Yellowing of leaves, stunting, and reduced yield.
  • Management:
    • Use systemic insecticides like Imidacloprid.
    • Introduce natural predators like ladybugs.
    • Control weeds to reduce aphid population.

• Wheat Armyworm (Mythimna unipuncta)
  • Symptoms: Leaf damage, defoliation, and holes in leaves.
  • Management:
    • Apply insecticides like Chlorpyrifos.
    • Use biological control agents like Trichogramma wasps.
    • Use of pheromone traps for monitoring.

• Diseases:
• Wheat Rust (Puccinia species)
  • Symptoms: Red or orange pustules on leaves, stems, and ears.
  • Management:
    • Use resistant wheat varieties.
    • Apply fungicides like Tebuconazole or Mancozeb.
    • Remove infected crop residues to reduce disease spread.

• Wheat Leaf Blight (Bipolaris sorokiniana)
  • Symptoms: Water-soaked lesions on leaves, leading to premature leaf death.
  • Management:
    • Use resistant varieties.
    • Apply fungicides like Carbendazim or Azoxystrobin.
    • Avoid excess nitrogen application and maintain proper crop rotation.

• Fusarium Head Blight (Fusarium graminearum)
  • Symptoms: Bleaching and premature death of spikelets, production of mycotoxins.
  • Management:
    • Use resistant varieties.
    • Apply Triazole fungicides like Tebuconazole.
    • Maintain good field hygiene and crop rotation.

• Wheat Yellow Rust (Puccinia striiformis)
  • Symptoms: Yellowing of leaves, reduction in plant height, and yield loss.
  • Management:
    • Use resistant wheat varieties.
    • Apply fungicides like Propiconazole.
    • Avoid planting wheat in areas prone to high humidity.