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DOI: 10.6662/TESFE.2018012 台灣昆蟲 Formosan Entomol. 38: 103-116 (2018) Research Article Formosan Entomologist Journal Homepage: entsocjournal.yabee.com.tw Survey on Rice Insects in Chitwan and Lamjung, Nepal Chiran Adhikari1, Rajendra Regmi1, Resham Bahadur Thapa2, Kapil Kafle2, and Lekhnath Kafle3* 1 Agriculture and Forestry University, Department of Entomology, Rampur, Chitwan, Nepal 2 Tribhuvan University, Institute of Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Department of Entomology, Nepal 3 Department of Tropical Agriculture and International Cooperation, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan * Corresponding email: [email protected] Received: 7 August 2018 Accepted: 21 December 2018 Available online: 25 February 2019 ABSTRACT This study was conducted to assess the abundance and diversity of insect pests at different growth stages of rice crops. Under two different climatic factors, the data on rice insect pests in the various growth stages of rice crops revealed that the number of insect species in Chitwan was higher (22) than that in Lamjung (15). The number of insect species was highest at the booting and heading stages of rice in Chitwan, (9), and in the tillering stage in Lamjung (2). In these two areas, the highest number of Nymphula depunctalis Guenée occurred at the tillering stage; however, the catch rate of Leptocorisa acuta (Thunberg) was the highest at the milking and hard dough stages. Hieroglyphus banian (Fabricius) was found from rice transplanting to harvesting, but was most abundant at the tillering stage in both areas. Moreover, Scirpophaga incertulas Walker was observed throughout the crop season, while its highest abundance were at the tillering stage in Chitwan and the milking stage in Lamjung. The highest number of Cnaphalocrosis medinalis Guenée occurred at the booting and heading stage in Chitwan only; however, Dicladispa armigera Oliver had the highest number at the tillering stage in Lamjung. In conclusion, the species richness (SR) and abundance (S) of rice insects reached their highest levels at the tillering, flowering, and milking stages of the rice crop, and then declined at the grain ripening stage. Furthermore, the species diversity (Hs) of rice insects fluctuate throughout the rice crop stages and reaches the highest numbers at the grain ripening stage in both areas. Key words: Climatic parameters, abundance, rice growth stages, insects Introduction thousand hectares of land (56.42% of cultivated land) and 4,299.08 thousand tons of rice grains Rice (Oryza sativa L) is the major staple food are produced with a national productivity of 3.15 in Nepal. Rice occupies approximately 1,363 tons/ha (Anonymous, 2016). In Nepal, rice is ~103~ 台灣昆蟲 Formosan Entomol. 38: 103-116 (2018) grown in three agroecological regions (Terai and Material and Methods Inner Terai, 67 to 900 amsl; Mid Hills, 1,000 to 1,500 amsl; and High Hills, 1,500 to 3,050 amsl) Study sites and in three major production environments, Rice insect pests were monitored at two sites: namely irrigated and rainfed lowlands and Rampur, Chitwan and Sundar bazzar, Lamjung upland. from July to November 2015. All the study areas Several factors are responsible for reducing were farmland with different soil types and the production of rice. Among them, insect pests cropping patterns. In Nepal, rice is cultivated at cause considerable losses in terms of quality and extreme altitudes ranging from tropical plains quantity (NARC, 1999). Over 800 insect pests (60 masl, Kechanakal, Jhapa) to temperate have been reported to infest rice but only a few mountains (3,050 masl, Chhumchour, Jumla) cause serious damage and require management. (Paudel, 2011), which have the highest elevation Insect pests cause a 25~30% loss in the in the world. To assess the numbers of pest production of rice in Nepal. Thapa and Tiwari insects from a fixed plot, rice was grown in its (2010) reported that brown plant hoppers, leaf main season in Chitwan (228 masl) to represent folders, grasshoppers, rice ear-head bugs, and a tropical plain with a cool winter and hot yellow stem borers are the major rice pests in summer, and in Lamjung (1,420 masl) to Nepal. Among these, the rice leaf folder represent mid-level hills with a cool and warm (Cnaphalocrosis medinalis Guenée), once climate. Details of the study sites are listed in considered a minor pest, has now acquired the Tables 1 and 2. status of a major pest due to it causing widespread damage to rice crops worldwide Experimental design (Teng et al., 1993). Rice leaf folders and The Ramdhan variety of rice was caseworms (Nymphula depunctalis Guenée) transplanted on July 29, 2015 and typical attack the rice plant by feeding on the leaves, agronomic practices were followed as directly reducing photosynthesis and ultimately recommended by the NARC (2006). No pesticides yield, which is dependent on plant age and rice were sprayed during the study. Ramdhan is a variety. Almost all rice varieties are susceptible medium tillering, medium panicle-initiation to attack by the rice ear-head bug (Leptocorisa duration, medium height, drought tolerant, soft acuta Thunberg), which attacks rice plants at grain, and an insect-pest-susceptible variety of the milking stage and causes considerable rice (Khanal and Badal, 2015). damage to the grain. The grasshopper (Caelifera A fixed plot of one unit (333.33 m2) each was spp.) is a devastating insect pest. It causes selected at both areas where five random spots damage to rice leaves, resulting in yield of 1 ft2 (four in the corners at 1.5 m inside from reduction. The rice plant passes through the border and one in the center) were selected vegetative (germination to panicle initiation), as five replications for observation of the insects. reproductive (panicle development-flowering), The observations were performed at 7-day and ripening (milk grain to mature grain) stages. intervals starting from 21 days after planting Each of these stages supports a particular until the harvest. We considered locations and species of insects. Consequently, rice fields have crop stages as factors; therefore, two-factorial greater biodiversity compared with other RCBD was used. The data were subjected to tropical rainfed systems (Schoenly et al., 1998). square root transformation and the complete Because no such study has been conducted in recorded data were analyzed using R Studio. Nepal, we conducted this study to gather Details of the sampling methods for the pest information to develop suitable tools for the insects are listed in Table 3. Similarly, for integrated control of rice insect pests in local natural enemies, an absolute sampling method cropping systems. This study successfully was used to observe the number of insects (field gathered information about major insect pests count) on plant canopies, with the whole plant and insect communities in rice-based cropping considered as a sampling unit. This is the most systems of two different agroecological systems commonly used sampling method for in Nepal. aboveground populations of insects (Kogan and Pitre, 1980). The insect population data were ~104~ 台灣昆蟲 Formosan Entomol. 38: 103-116 (2018) recordedTable 1. atCharacteristics 7-day intervals of the from study 21 sites days after Geographical Study areas Cropping pattern Soil type coordination Chitwan, Rampur (Plain) 27o40ꞌN84o19ꞌE, Rice-Wheat-Maize (Irrigated) Sandy 228 masl Rice-Wheat-Fallow (Rainfed) Lamjung, Sundar bazzar 28o12ꞌN84o22ꞌE, Rice-Wheat-Maize (Irrigated) Sandy loam (Mid hill) 1420 masl Maize + Upland rice-Wheat (Rainfed) Table 2. Temperature, RH, and rainfall during the rice growing period in Chitwan and Lamjung, Nepal Temperature ( oC) RH (%) Rainfall (mm) Months Chitwan Lamjung Chitwan Lamjung Chitwan Lamjung June 35.42 31.35 76.80 79.97 306.80 475.27 July 34.27 30.84 84.65 87.04 417.50 757.53 August 33.19 30.90 84.77 86.64 461.20 699.63 September 32.57 31.27 89.20 83.80 00.00 331.10 October 31.83 28.41 84.32 80.75 04.20 120.95 November 28.20 25.69 89.20 73.02 00.00 00.00 Average 32.58 29.72 84.82 81.87 198.28 397.41 Table 3. Sampling technique used for rice insect pests (adopted from NICRA, 2011) Insect Sampling technique Stem borer Counting the dead hearts (dried tillers) at the tillering stage and white ear heads after panicle emergence in each hill. In addition, counting the total number of larvae and adults in each hill. Leaf folder Counting the number of folded leaves per hill when more than 30% of a leaf is damaged. In addition, counting the total number of larvae and adults in each leaf per hill. Caseworm Counting the total adults and damaged leaves due to case worms per hill and recording them. Brown plant hopper (BPH) Recording the total number of hoppers (nymphs and adults) on all tillers of each hill. For tiller damage, counting the number of damaged tillers per hill. Leaf hopper Counting the number of nymphs and adults of all hoppers other than BPH in each hill. Rice horned caterpillar and Counting the total number of caterpillars, adults, and damaged army worm leaves in each hill, and then recording them separately. Rice ear-head bug Counting and recording the number of nymphs and adults together on each hill. Blue beetle Counting and recording the number of immature stages and adults together on each hill. Black bugs and grasshoppers Counting and recording the number of nymphs and adults together on each hill. Rice skipper, pollen beetle, Counting and recording the number of adults together on each hill. and rice hispa ~105~ 台灣昆蟲 Formosan Entomol. 38: 103-116 (2018) Table 4. Insect orders associated with rice of intensity (Bambaradeniya et al., 2004). The agroecosystems in Chitwan and Lamjung, Nepal abundance of total numbers of insects and insect Total insects (%) orders was higher in Chitwan than in Lamjung.