Crops: Rice Insect Pests
Green leaf hopper - Nephotettix virescens (Cicadellidae : Homoptera)
- Nymphs and adults are wedge shaped and green in colour.
- Adults have black spot on each of its forewings and black patch towards outer margin. They are highly phototrophic in nature.
- They suck sap from the leaves. Affected plants tum yellow and remain stunted. In heavy infestation leaves tum brown .
- Green leaf hoppers act as vectors and transmit at least four virus diseases of which rice tungro virus disease is most important. Tungro affected plants tum yellow in colour and have reduced number of tillers. The panicle bears less number of grains.
- Control measures are to be taken when there are 10 hoppers per hill at pre-tillering stage, 20 per hill at panicle initiation stage or 1-2 insects per hill in tungro endemic areas.
