The Rice Swarming Caterpillar is considered a destructive pest that infests rice crops, causing significant threat to rice production. Rice swarming caterpillars feed on rice leaves, stem and panicles, leading to yield losses ranging from 20% in moderate infestation to 70% in severe infestation. This pest is particularly concerning because it has the ability to reproduce quickly and can migrate over large distances, making it difficult to control.
Rice swarming caterpillars are polyphagous in nature which attacks various other gramineous crops and weeds, but upland rice is the preferred host of this caterpillar. Heavy rainfall favors the outbreak of rice swarming caterpillars. The mature larvae can be identified by their green, grey or brown color body with dark dorsal and sub dorsal longitudinal stripes. They also have two rows of black color C-shaped spots on their backs.
The Rice Swarming Caterpillar can cause both sporadic and epidemic outbreaks. Sporadic outbreaks occur when small populations of the pest appear in localized areas, while epidemic outbreaks occur when large populations of the pest spread rapidly over a wide geographic area. These outbreaks can cause significant damage to rice crops by feeding on rice leaves and stems and result in reduced yields.
Scientific Name: Spodoptera mauritia
The Rice Swarming Caterpillar is known to affect several states in India, particularly northern and eastern regions of the country, where rice production is a significant agricultural activity. The affected states include Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha.
The Rice Swarming Caterpillar can cause several damaging symptoms or infestation signs, including:
An integrated pest management technique which includes cultural, mechanical, biological and chemical methods is often necessary to effectively control rice swarming caterpillars.
Chemical control methods involve the use of chemicals to manage the pest population. Insecticides that are commonly used to control the rice swarming caterpillars are mentioned in the table below,
Product Name | Technical Content | Dosage |
Shamrock Gold CP Insecticide | Chlorpyriphos 20% EC | 2.5 ml/lit of water |
Ekalux Insecticide | Quinalphos 25% EC | 2 ml/lit of water |
Starclaim Insecticide | Emamectin benzoate 5% SG | 0.5 gm/lit of water |
Plethora Insecticide | Novaluron 5.25% + Indoxacarb 4.5% SC | 2 ml/lit of water |
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