Crops Care

Rice Bug or Gandhi Insect ( Leptocorisa acuta ), an insect belonging to the family alydidae, is very common in paddy fields. This pest is more infested especially after the grain of rice. This insect damages not only rice but also human skin. This insect has been named as Gandhi insect because it emits a special kind of stench.

Type of damage:

• Rice Bug can damage crops in both nymph and adult stages.
• They suck food from rice grains.
• If attacked in the milk stage, the grain becomes cheesy and if attacked in the mature stage, the grain becomes black, thereby reducing the quality of the rice.
• If not controlled at the right time, Gandhi beetles can reduce the yield up to 15-25%. 

Suppression Management:

• Use light fixtures
• Collect and kill insects with hand nets
• Biplob 55 EC (Chloropyriphos 50% + Cypermethrin 5%) is very effective against this pest
• Mix 1 ml Biplob 55 EC per liter of water and spray. Wear hand gloves and face mask when spraying insecticides and spray in mid-afternoon and evening hours.