African Rice Gall Midge:
Biology, Ecology and Control
CGIAR
®
F.E. Nwilene, K.F. Nwanze and O. Okhidievbie
Africa Rice Center (WARDA)
Field Guide
and Technical Manual
ISBN 92 9113 236 5 (PDF)
ISBN 92 9113 255 1 (print)
About Africa Rice Center (WARDA)
Africa Rice Center (WARDA) is an autonomous intergovernmental research association of
African member states and also one of the 15 international agricultural research Centers
supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR).
Its mission is “to contribute to poverty alleviation and food security in Africa, through research,
development and partnership activities aimed at increasing the productivity and profitability of
the rice sector in ways that ensure the sustainability of the farming environment.”
The
modus operandi of WARDA is partnership at all levels. WARDA’s research and
development activities are conducted in collaboration with various stakeholders – primarily the
National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS), academic institutions, advanced research
institutions, farmers’ organizations, non-governmental organizations, and donors – for the
benefit of African farmers, mostly small-scale producers, as well as the millions of African
families for whom rice means food.
The ‘New Rice for Africa’ (NERICA), which is bringing hope to millions of poor people in Africa,
was developed by WARDA and its partners. The success of the NERICAs has helped shape
the Center’s future direction, extending its horizon beyond West and Central Africa into
Eastern and Southern Africa. The creation of NERICA is in harmony with the spirit of the World
Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the Tokyo International Conference on
Africa’s Development (TICAD), the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), and the New
Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) for sustainable development. The African Rice
Initiative (ARI) was launched in 2002 to promote the dissemination of NERICA and
complementary technologies throughout SSA.
WARDA hosts ARI, the Regional Rice Research and Development Network for West and
Central Africa (ROCARIZ), and the Inland Valley Consortium (IVC).
Since January 2005, WARDA has been working out of the International Institute of Tropical
Agriculture Benin Station in Cotonou, having relocated from its headquarters in Bouaké, Côte
d’Ivoire because of the Ivorian crisis. WARDA has regional research stations in St. Louis,
Senegal and at IITA in Ibadan, Nigeria.
For more information, visit
www.warda.org
Temporary Headquarters
and Research Center
Africa Rice Center
01 BP 2031
Cotonou
Benin
Tel.: (229) 21.35.01.88
Fax: (229) 21.35.05.56
E-mail:
warda@cgiar.org
WARDA Nigeria
Station
WARDA
c/o International
Institute of Tropical
Agriculture (IITA)
Oyo Road, PMB 5320
Ibadan
Nigeria
Tel.: (234-2) 241 2626
Fax: (234-2) 241 2221
E-mail:
iita@cgiar.org
WARDA Sahel
Station
ADRAO
B.P. 96
St Louis
Senegal
Tel.:(221) 962 6493
(221) 962 6441
Fax:(221) 962 6491
E-mail:
warda-sahel@cgiar.org
Permanent
Headquarters
Bouaké
Côte d’Ivoire
CGIAR Centers
CIAT Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (Cali, Colombia)
CIFOR Center for International Forestry Research (Bogor, Indonesia)
CIMMYT Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (Mexico, DF, Mexico)
CIP Centro Internacional de la Papa (Lima, Peru)
ICARDAInternational Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (Aleppo, Syria)
ICLARMWorldFish Center (Penang, Malaysia)
ICRAF World Agroforestry Centre (Nairobi, Kenya)
ICRISATInternational Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Patancheru,
India)
IFPRI International Food Policy Research Institute (Washington, DC, USA)
IITA International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (Ibadan, Nigeria)
ILRI International Livestock Research Institute (Nairobi, Kenya)
IPGRI International Plant Genetic Resources Institute (Rome, Italy)
IRRI International Rice Research Institute (Los Baños, Philippines)
IWMI International Water Management Institute (Colombo, Sri Lanka)
WARDAAfrica Rice Center (Cotonou, Benin)
About the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) was founded in 1971
as a global endeavor of cooperation and goodwill. The CGIAR’s mission is to contribute to food
security and poverty eradication in developing countries through research, partnership,
capacity building and policy support, promoting sustainable agricultural development based
on the environmentally sound management of natural resources. The CGIAR works to help
ensure food security for the twenty-first century through its network of 15 international and
autonomous research centers, including WARDA. Together, the centers conduct research on
crops, livestock, fisheries and forests, develop policy initiatives, strengthen national agricultural
organizations, and promote sustainable resource management practices that help provide
people world-wide with better livelihoods.
The CGIAR works in partnership with national governmental and non-governmental
organizations, universities and private industry. The United Nations Development Programme,
the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Bank, and the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations sponsor the CGIAR. The CGIAR’s 58 members include
developing and developed countries, private foundations, and international and regional
organizations. Developing world participation has doubled in recent years. All members of the
OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Development Assistance
Committee belong to the CGIAR.
The CGIAR is actively planning for the world’s food needs well into the twenty-first century. It
will continue to do so with its mission always in mind and with its constant allegiance to
scientific excellence.
Africa Rice Center (WARDA)
01 BP 2031, Cotonou, Benin
Tel: (229) 21.35.01.88. Fax: (229) 21.35.05.56
E-mail: warda@cgiar.org
www.warda.org
®
i
African Rice Gall Midge:
Biology, Ecology and
Control
Field Guide
and Technical Manual
F.E. Nwilene, K.F. Nwanze and O. Okhidievbie
2006
®
ii
© Copyright Africa Rice Center (WARDA) 2006
WARDA encourages fair use of this material. Proper citation is requested.
Nwilene, F.E., K.F. Nwanze and O. Okhidievbie. 2006.
African Rice Gall
Midge: Biology, Ecology and Control—Field Guide and Technical Manual
.
Africa Rice Center (WARDA), Cotonou, Benin. 24 pp.
For additional information, please contact:
Francis E. Nwilene
Entomologist
Africa Rice Center
E-mail:
f.nwilene@cgiar.org
ISBN 92 9113 236 5 (PDF)
ISBN 92 9113 255 1 (print)
Cover: AfRGM damage
Africa Rice Center (WARDA)
01 B.P. 2031
Cotonou
Benin
Tel.: (229) 21.35.01.88
Fax: (229) 21.35.05.56
E-mail:
warda@cgiar.org
Web-site: http://www.warda.org/
Printing and binding:
Pragati Art Printers, Hyderabad, India
iii
Contents
Preface ................................................................................................ iv
Acknowledgements............................................................................. iv
Introduction.......................................................................................... 1
What is African rice gall midge? .......................................................... 2
Where is AfRGM important? ............................................................... 2
How bad is the pest? ........................................................................... 3
What are the causes of AfRGM outbreaks? ....................................... 3
What are the site and field characteristics associated with
higher risks of AfRGM? ................................................................ 3
How can one recognize AfRGM damage in the field? ........................ 4
How do we assess AfRGM damage in the field? ................................ 5
What other variables are recorded for a sampled field? ..................... 6
What do we know about the life cycle of AfRGM? .............................. 7
How can we distinguish between male and female adult
midges?........................................................................................ 9
In which agro-ecological zones and ecologies does
AfRGM occur? ............................................................................ 10
What are the hosts of AfRGM?.......................................................... 11
Where does AfRGM emerge from at the beginning of the wet
season?....................................................................................... 11
Which control measures are most appropriate? ............................... 12
Conclusion......................................................................................... 18
Further reading .................................................................................. 19
iv
Preface
African rice gall midge is a major biotic constraint to rainfed and
irrigated lowland rice production in sub-Saharan Africa. The problem
is increasing with the expansion and intensification of rice produc-
tion. A constraint to the development of improved control methods
is a lack of understanding of the biology and ecology of gall midge.
It is hoped that this guide will help crop protection personnel (tech-
nicians, trainers, NGOs and extension workers) in the national
programs in sub-Saharan Africa to gain a better understanding of
AfRGM biology, ecology, and identification of factors associated
with AfRGM outbreaks in affected areas. It is also hoped that it will
help make farmers aware of the importance of AfRGM damage in
the field and help them to manage the pest through IPM strategies
incorporating indigenous knowledge.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the participants at the First WARDA/NARS Group Discussion
and Planning Meeting on Bioecology and Management of the African Rice Gall
Midge, held at WARDA/IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria, 12–16 October 1998, for providing
the initial stimulus and encouragement that led to the realization of this guide.
Our special thanks go to Charles Williams who coordinated production of the
first African rice gall midge research guide.
We thank Guy Manners for thorough review of the final draft, Aïssata Sylla for
design and desktop-publishing, Adebayo A. Omoloye and Dona Dakouo for
generously providing the photos on pages 9 and 15, respectively.
The financial support provided for this publication by the UK Department for
International Development (DFID) and WARDA is gratefully acknowledged.
1
Introduction
African rice gall midge (AfRGM), Orseolia oryzivora Harris &
Gagné (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is an insect pest primarily of rainfed
and irrigated lowland rice, and occurs only in sub-Saharan Africa.
The larvae cause severe crop damage during the vegetative stages
(seedling to panicle initiation) by producing tube-like ‘silver shoot’
or ‘onion leaf ’ galls that prevent panicle production.
Severe yield losses are reported from countries where AfRGM is
endemic and these vary significantly depending on the climatic zone,
ecosystem and level of cropping intensification. In the face of
increasing human population and rapidly growing demand for rice,
the alleviation of insect-induced food-grain losses must be tackled
to ensure food security of the large number of people in Africa who
depend on rice. In order to effectively and economically manage
this pest, it is essential to be able to identify it, and to understand its
biology and host range, the nature of the damage it inflicts, and to
know its natural enemies. This book provides information on integrated
pest management (IPM) of AfRGM in rice-based cropping systems.
2
What is African rice gall midge?
African rice gall midge is a serious insect pest of rainfed and irrigated
lowland rice in Africa.
It is a bud/stalk borer and larval feeding causes severe damage to
rice during the vegetative stages (seedling to panicle initiation).
Where is AfRGM important?
African rice gall midge was first reported in Sudan in 1954.
It has become a major pest in Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Mali and Sierra
Leone.
It has been recorded in a further 16 sub-Saharan African countries.
Distribution of AfRGM in Africa
Countries with AfRGM incidence
Countries where AfRGM is endemic
Senegal
The Gambia
Guinea Bissau
Guinea
Sierra Leone
Burkina Faso
Mali
Côte d’Ivoire
Ghana
Togo
Benin
Nig e ria
Chad
Nig e r
Tanzania
Cameroon
Mala wi
Sudan
Ug and a
Zambia
Senegal
The Gambia
Guinea Bissau
Guinea
Sierra Leone
Burkina Faso
Mali
Côte d’Ivoire
Ghana
Togo
Benin
Nig e ria
Chad
Nig e r
Tanzania
Cameroon
Mala wi
Sudan
Ug and a
Zambia
