Scirpophaga incertulas

Scirpophaga incertulas, the yellow stem borer or rice yellow stem borer, is a species of moth of the family Crambidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1863. It is found in Afghanistan, Nepal, north-eastern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Sumba, Sulawesi, the Philippines, Taiwan, China and Japan.[1]

Larva

Yellow stem borer
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Superfamily: Pyraloidea
Family: Crambidae
Subfamily: Schoenobiinae
Genus: Scirpophaga
Species:
S. incertulas
Binomial name
Scirpophaga incertulas
(Walker, 1863)
Synonyms
  • Chilo incertulas Walker, 1863
  • Chilo incertellus Walker, 1917
  • Catagela admotella Walker, 1863
  • Schoenobius punctellus Zeller, 1863
  • Schoenobius minutellus Zeller, 1863
  • Tipanaea bipunctifera Walker, 1863
  • Chilo gratiosellus Walker, 1864
  • Schoenobius bipunctifer ab. quadripunctellifera Strand, 1918
Scirpophaga incertulas,rice yellow stem borer

Description

The wingspan of the male is 18–22 mm and the female is 34 mm.[2] Adult males are smaller than the females. Males are brownish ochreous. Forewings irrorated (sprinkled) with dark scales and with the veins slightly streaked with fuscous. A black spot found at lower angle of cell. There is an oblique fuscous line runs from apex to vein 2. A marginal black specks series can be seen. Hindwings ochreous white. Female fuscous brown with pale fuscous hindwings.[3]

Ecology

The larvae feed on Oryza sativa. It is considered as a major rice pest throughout India and Sri Lanka and it devastates harvests annually. They bore the stem of their host plant. Full-grown larvae are pale yellow to yellowish green with a brown head and reach a length of 20 mm. Pupation takes place in a white silk cocoon.

Damage

After hatching, early instars bore into the leaf sheath and causing longitudinal yellowish-white patches as a result of feeding. Then it invades the stem of the rice plant and stays in the pith to feed on the inner surface of the stem wall. These are not externally visual as symptoms. Severe feeding causes a deep circular cut through the parenchyma tissue showing deadhearts at the vegetative stages and whiteheads at the reproductive stages.[4]

Control

Due to heavy damage to rice throughout the world, many controlling measures are underway. Chemical, physical, and biological controls and many traditional methods are used to control the pest at any stage of its life cycle. Numerous pest resistant paddy varieties have been genetically modified and introduced in to the fields by the local governments. In biological control, egg parasitism is high and widespread. Species of the three genera Telenomus, Tetrastichus and Trichogramma are greatly effective against eggs, larva and adult moths.[4]

Conocephalus longipennis, a bush cricket is known to consume moth eggs. Other than insect parasitoids, fungi, bacteria, viruses and mermithid nematodes are also used for Integrated Pest Management (IPM).[4] Split release of Trichogramma japonicum improved control in Nagaland, India [5] Applications of Chlorantraniliprole at 40 g.a.i./ha was found to be efficacious against S. incertulas.

References
  1. Savela, Markku. "Scirpophaga incertulas (Walker, 1863)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  2. cycle-of-yellow-stem-borer-scirpophaga-incertulas-wlk Life cycle of Yellow stem borer Scirpophaga incertulas Wlk
  3. Hampson, G. F. (1896). The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Moths Volume IV. Taylor and Francis – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
  4. "Yellow stem borer (Scirpophaga incertulas)". Plantwise Technical Factsheet. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  5. Sarma AK (2006) Efficacy of Trichogramma japonicum Ashmead against yellow stem borer, Scirpophaga incertulas walk on rice in Nagaland. Journal of Applied Zoological Researches 17(2): 196-200. CABI abstract
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