The animals, which cause harmful effect on human comforts, ease, and economic profit is called pests. These animals disturb human beings in different ways. Among them, some insects cause damage to a great extent to the crops in the fields. Of these two of each of the paddy and jute insects, along with their local and scientific names, the number of their harmful effects and methods of control are discussed here.
(a) Yellow stem borer of paddy: The scientific name of Yellow stem borer is Scirpophaga Mcertulus; the adult moth is yellow in color. The female moth lays eggs on paddy. Larvae or caterpillar hatches from the egg and comes out by piercing the stein and enters within it. It needs 35-46 days to convert a larva into the pupa and 6-10 days are needed to convert the Yellow stein borer into adult insects.
Harmful effect: Due to the eating of stem the plant dries out and dies.
Fig: Yellow stem borer
Control or method of remedy:
- Biological control: The eggs are to be destroyed by hands.
- Chemical method: The insect is to be killed by proper insecticides.
(b) Rice hispa of paddy: Its scientific name is Dicladispa arnigera. They are black in color and have got spines on the back.
Fig: Rice hispa
The female insects lay eggs on the leaf of paddy plant. Within 3 days larva comes out which becomes a pupa within 9-12 days, being brown in color. Pupa becomes adult insect within 3-4 days and lives for 9-12 days.
Harmful effect: Larvae and adult insect eat up the green portion of paddy leaf which dries up and becomes white due to the absence of green parts as there is no photosynthesis and these results in the damage of the plant and the production become less.
