Gall midge: Orseolia oryzae
Symptom of damage:
- Maggot feeds at the base of the growing shoot
- Causing formation of a tube like gall that is similar to “onion leaf” or “Silver-shoot”.
- Infested tillers produce no panicles.
Identification of insect pest:
- Egg: The fly lays elongate, cylindrical, shinning white or red or pinkish eggs singly or in clusters (2-6) at the base of the leaves.
- Larva: Maggot is 1 mm long after hatching with the pointed anterior end. It creeps down the sheath and enters the growing bud. An oval chamber is formed round the site of feeding.
- Pupa: At the time of emergence the pupa wriggles up the tube with the help of antennal horn to the tip of the silver shoot and projects half way out.Adult: fly is yellowish brown and mosquito-like. The male is ash grey in colour. Adults feed on dewdrops.
Management:
ETL: 10% silver shoots
- Release Platygaster oryzae parasitised galls at 1/10 m2 on 10 days after transplanting (DAT)
- Early ploughing
- Harvest the crop and plough immediately
- Remove the alternate hosts and adjust the time of planting (early)
- Optimum recommendation of potash fertilizer
- Setup light trap and monitor the adult flies
- Spray any one of the following insectcides
- Phosalone 35 EC 1500 ml/ha
- Carbosulfan 25% EC 800-1000 ml/ha
- Chlorpyriphos 20% EC 1250 ml/ha
- Fipronil 5% SC 1000-1500 g/ha
- Fipronil 0.3% GR 16670-25000 g/ha
- Thiamethoxam 25% WG 100 g/ha
Source-
- TNAU Agritech Portal
