''Scirpophaga incertulas'', the yellow stem borer or rice yellow stem borer, is a species of

moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

of the family

Crambidae Crambidae comprises the grass moth family of lepidopterans. They are variable in appearance, with the nominal subfamily Crambinae (grass moths) taking up closely folded postures on grass stems where they are inconspicuous, while other subfamilies ...

. It was described by Francis Walker in 1863. It is found in

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, north-eastern

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, Sumba,

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, the

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and

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Description

The

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the opposite wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingsp ...

of the male is 18–22 mm and the female is 34 mm. Adult males are smaller than the females. Males are brownish ochreous. Forewings irrorated (sprinkled) with dark scales and with the veins slightly streaked with fuscous. A black spot found at lower angle of cell. There is an oblique fuscous line runs from apex to vein 2. A marginal black specks series can be seen. Hindwings ochreous white. Female fuscous brown with pale fuscous hindwings.

Ecology

The larvae feed on ''

Oryza sativa ''Oryza sativa'', having the common name Asian cultivated rice, is the much more common of the two rice species cultivated as a cereal, the other species being ''Oryza glaberrima, O. glaberrima'', African rice. It was History of rice cultivation ...

''. It is considered as a major rice pest throughout India, Sri Lanka as well as in various parts of Nepal, and it devastates harvests annually. They bore the stem of their host plant.

Damage

After hatching, early

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'' 'form, likeness') is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, which occurs between each moult (''ecdysis'') until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to ...

s bore into the leaf sheath and causing longitudinal yellowish-white patches as a result of feeding. Then it invades the stem of the rice plant and stays in the pith to feed on the inner surface of the stem wall. These are not externally visual as symptoms. Severe feeding causes a deep circular cut through the parenchyma tissue showing deadhearts at the vegetative stages and whiteheads at the reproductive stages.

Control

Due to heavy damage to rice throughout the world, many controlling measures are underway. Chemical, physical, and biological controls and many traditional methods are used to control the pest at any stage of its life cycle. Numerous pest resistant paddy varieties have been genetically modified and introduced in to the fields by the local governments. In biological control, egg parasitism is high and widespread. Species of the three genera '' Telenomus'', '' Tetrastichus'' and '' Trichogramma'' are greatly effective against eggs, larva and adult moths. '' Conocephalus longipennis'', a bush cricket is known to consume moth eggs. Other than insect

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

s, fungi, bacteria, viruses and mermithid nematodes are also used for

Integrated Pest Management Integrated pest management (IPM), also known as integrated pest control (IPC) integrates both chemical and non-chemical practices for economic control of pests. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization defines IPM as "the careful consideratio ...

(IPM). Split release of '' Trichogramma japonicum'' improved control in

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...

, India Applications of Chlorantraniliprole has been found to reduce the hopper injuries.

References

External links

Studies on the ecology of the yellow stem borer, Scirpophaga incertulas (Walker) (Pyralidae), in deepwater rice in BangladeshLife cycle of Yellow stem borer ''Scirpophaga incertulas''Rice Yellow stem borer, ''Scirpophaga incertulas'' (Walker)Pheromones and Semiochemicals of ''Scirpophaga incertulas''The impact of yellow stem-borer, ''Scirpophaga incertulas'' (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), on deepwater rice, with special reference to BangladeshRice crop stage susceptibility to the rice yellow stemborer ''Scirpophaga incertulas''Advances in Pest and Disease Management of Rice in Sri LankaEgg parasites of ''Scirpophaga incertulas'' (Walker) in Sri Lanka
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3595381 Moths described in 1863 Schoenobiinae Moths of Asia Insect pests of rice