FACTSHEETS FOR FARMERS
www.plantwise.org
Created in
Cambodia
,
November
2012
(Revised June 2013)
Yellow Stem Borer
Recognize the problem
The eggs of the borer are white and are covered with brownish hairs of the
female moth. The larva, which hatches from the egg, can grow to 20mm long.
It has a pale hairless yellow body with a small orange head. Pupation occurs in
the stem and then the larva becomes an adult. The adult female is a whitish to
yellowish moth. It has a pair of clear black spots in the middle of each
forewing. The male is smaller and dull in color. It has two rows of black spots
at the tip of its forewings.
Background
Rice plants from the seedling to maximum tillering stages that have been
attacked at the base of the stem have deadhearts. Deadhearts are the dried up
central shoots of tillers on the rice plant before flowering. If attack happened
after flowering stage, the panicle with the rice grain will die and turn white or
pale in colour, and this is called a whitehead.
Management
•
Plough the field after harvest to destroy the pupa in the rice straw and
soil
•
Destroy eggs during transplantation
•
Harvest at ground level to remove larvae
•
Burning is only partially effective because after harvest the larvae may
move below ground level
•
Plant at the right time, together with the other farmers
•
Apply fertilizer in balance, don
’
t apply too much N fertilizer
•
Preserve beneficial insects by avoiding the use of toxic sprays
•
If the measures mentioned above fail, use less toxic insecticide by
following the recommendations of a technical expert.
•
Use insecticides such as fipronil or Diazinon or Cartap hydrochloride;
follow label recommendations.
Scientific name(s)
>
Scirpophaga incertulas
(Walker)
The recommendations in this factsheet are relevant to
:
Cambodia
Authors
:
General Directorate of Agriculture (GDA)
No. 54B/49F, St. 395-656, Sangkat Teuk La Ak, Khan Toul Kork, Phnom Penh
tel:
+855 23 631 9 070
Edited by
Plantwise
Plantwise is a global initiative led by CABI
KH015En
Lose Less, Feed More
Mature larva.
(Photo by IRRI)
When using a pesticide, always wear protective clothing and follow the instructions on the product label, such
as dosage, timing of application, and pre-harvest interval.
