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Brown planthopper (BPH / sudidoma) in paddy

Brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens), known locally as sudidoma, is a phloem-sap-sucking delphacid hopper of rice and is considered the most damaging insect pest of paddy across temperate and tropical Asia.

Identification and symptoms

Adults and nymphs cluster at the base of tillers just above the water line, sucking phloem sap. Heavy populations dry out plants in roughly circular patches that turn yellow and then brown - the diagnostic 'hopper-burn' symptom. Honeydew on lower leaves and a layer of sooty mould often accompany infestations.

Host crops and life cycle

The pest is monophagous on rice and breeds continuously through the cropping season. Peak damage typically occurs at 40-80 days after transplanting (DAT) when the canopy closes and microclimate humidity is highest. BPH is also a vector of grassy stunt and ragged stunt viruses, adding a disease dimension to its damage.

Damage and economic impact

Severe outbreaks can cause 70-100% yield loss in hopper-burn patches. The pest is the principal target of resistance breeding at ICAR-IIRR Rajendranagar, and a long-running BPH program has produced multiple resistant donor lines and released varieties.

Management

  • Resistant varieties: deploy lines carrying Bph resistance genes; rotate genes to avoid biotype shifts.
  • Cultural: avoid dense planting, drain fields periodically to break the humid microclimate, and split nitrogen rather than over-applying basal N.
  • Biological: conserve mirid bugs (Cyrtorhinus lividipennis), spiders and ground beetles by minimising broad-spectrum sprays; monitor adults with light traps.
  • Chemical: when economic thresholds are crossed, pymetrozine, dinotefuran, thiamethoxam or triflumezopyrim are the recommended chemistries; pyrethroids and chlorpyrifos can flare populations by killing natural enemies.

See also: Brown Planthopper Paddy 2, Yellow Stem Borer Paddy, Leaf Folder Paddy, Rice Tungro Virus, Paddy Panicle Stage Management.

References

  1. Planthopper. IRRI Rice Knowledge Bank.
  2. Insect Pest Management in Rice: The Case of Brown Planthopper. CABI Plant Health Cases.
  3. Rice brown planthopper fact sheet. Lucid (CABI).