Incidence of Pest and Natural Enemies in Direct Seeded Rice and Transplanted Rice

Direct seeded rice (DSR) has several economic and environmental benefits over transplanted rice (TPR), such as ease of planting, less water and labour requirement, short crop period, and reduced methane emission. We studied the incidence of pests: brown plant hopper (BPH), white-backed planthopper (WBPH), leaf folder, whorl maggot, yellow stem borer, and natural enemies like spiders and rove beetles in rice under direct seeded and transplanting methods. Results indicated a significantly higher incidence of BPH and WBPH in TPR (4.81 ± 0.66; 0.24 ± 0.04 respectively) compared to DSR (3.22 ± 0.41; 0.006 ± 0.004 respectively). While the overall percent of leaf folder damage was significantly higher in TPR (1.01 ± 0.12), the percentage of white ears was high in DSR (2.83%) compared to TPR (1.87%). However, no significant difference was observed in the whorl maggot damage and natural enemy populations: spiders and rove beetles. The study also revealed a significantly higher yield in TPR (35.06 q/ha) than in DSR (31.13 q/ha). Our findings highlight the varying pest incidence in TPR and DSR with respect to pest species and emphasize the importance of management practices in DSR to maximize yield.