Rice Root Weevil

📖 Description

Rice Root Weevil is a soil-dwelling pest of rice across the Indian subcontinent, particularly severe in upland rice, direct-seeded rice and rice-wheat rotation systems of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Both adult and larval stages damage the crop — adults feed on leaves creating characteristic window-pane feeding scars, while larvae feed on rice roots in the soil, reducing the plant’s ability to absorb water and nutrients. This dual damage (foliar + root) makes E. oryzae particularly damaging — even moderate infestations can significantly reduce yield through combined leaf area loss and impaired root function. Outbreaks are favoured by warm moist soil conditions and continuous rice cropping. The pest is more of a concern in upland and direct-seeded rice than in transplanted flooded rice — flooding suppresses larval populations by creating anaerobic conditions. IPM with soil application of biocontrol (Beauveria, Metarhizium) against larvae, foliar sprays against adults, crop rotation and flooding between crops provides effective control. Conservation of predatory ground beetles (Carabidae) is important — these beetles prey on soil-dwelling larvae and can suppress populations naturally.