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Pacific Pests, Pathogens & Weeds - Mini Fact Sheet Edition

Rice brown planthopper (064)

Photo 1. Large numbers of the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, at the base of rice plants at water level.

Photo 2. Hopperburn caused by the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens. This occurs when large numbers of insects suck the sap from plants and cause then to wilt and die.

Photo 3. Close-up of nymphs (left) and adult (right) brown planthoppers, Nilaparvata lugens.

Photo 4. If insecticides are used, and there are no predators or parasites, populations of brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, increase rapidly.

Summary

Widespread distribution. South and Southeast Asia, Oceania. Rice and wild grasses. An important pest.
Planthoppers suck sap, reducing the number of tillers, panicles, and filled grains. Plants are stunted. Severe infestations, especially from tillering to flowering, cause “hopperburn”; plants dry out and collapse.
Infestations start when winged forms arrive, and lay eggs which produce nymphs and wingless adults.
Cultural control: tolerant varieties; avoid over-lapping crops; crop rotation; remove “volunteer” plants; split applications of nitrogen fertilizer; avoid ratoon crops; plough in stubble immediately after harvest.
Chemical control: only use if populations high (1-2 insects per tiller). Check current recommendations as often planthoppers become resistant to insecticides.

Common Name

Brown planthopper

Scientific Name

Nilaparvata lugens

AUTHORS Helen Tsatsia & Grahame Jackson
Information from CABI Nilaparvata lugens (brown planthopper) Crop Protection Compendium. (https://www.cabi.org/cpc). and (plus Photos 1,3&4) from Planthopper. Rice Knowledge Bank. IRRI. (http://www.knowledgebank.irri.org/training/fact-sheets/pest-management/insects/item/planthopper). Photo 2 Paul Langlois, Museum Collections: Cicadas, Planthoppers, & Allies, USDA APHIS PPQ, Bugwood.org.

Produced with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under project PC/2010/090: Strengthening integrated crop management research in the Pacific Islands in support of sustainable intensification of high-value crop production, implemented by the University of Queensland and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

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