MANAGEMENT OF MALAYAN RICE BLACKBUG (Scotinophara

coarctata ) USING BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENT IN THE

ISLAND PROVINCES OF THE PHILIPPINES

Ms. Wilma R. Cuaterno

Crop Protection Division

Bureau of Plant Industry
Department of Agriculture, Philippines
Email: [email protected]

Introduction

The Malayan Rice Black bug is a serious invasive pest of rice (Oryza
sativa) affecting some of the islands of Philippine Archipelago. tI belongs to
Order Hemiptera and Family Pentatomidae. Its scientific name is Scotinophora
coarctata (Fabricious). Formerly, it is known as Podops coarctata (Griet and
Lever, 1969).

Like most Asians, the Filipinos have rice as their staple food though we
have some islands in the Visayas where they prefer corn. Rice is the most
important crop to majority of our farmers and to many landless workers who
derive income from working on others rice fields. The per capita consumption of
milled rice per Filipino is 100 kilograms per year and the population of the
Philippines now is about 85,000,000.

The pest has been known as serious pest of rice in Malaysia as early as
1920s (Corbett and Yusope, 1920; South, 1026; Dammerman 1929 and Miller
and Pogden, 1930). In the Philippines, the insect was known only during the
infestation in 1979 at Bataraza , Palawan Island. At that time, the Crop Protection
Division, Bureau of Plant Industry led the management of the pest using rice
tolerant variety and chemical control. Later, the variety was found to be
susceptible to Tungro Virus and since Integrated Pest Management is already an
active program in the Department of Agriculture, cultural control was left alone.
That time IPM allows judicious use of pesticide which unlike today, Philippine
IPM is based on biological control. Some farmers used insecticide but not all
.Due to poverty, they cannot afford to buy. Later, the infestation was gone
especially in areas where there is little insecticide application or none at all. They

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noticed that in those areas, the population of the wasp Telenomus had
increased.

Due to active trading, the pest continues to spread. The pest goes with the
light of the trading vessels plying from island to island. The pest is also very
attracted to bright light. This time, the Philippine Rice Research Institute takes
the lead. In 1989 until today, they are the one in the forefront since rice is their
assigned commodity. They are practicing IPM approaches including quarantine
measures, with less reliance to insecticide since from past experiences, they
have learned that pesticides complicate problems rather than control with
regards to pests. This may be due to the elimination of indigenous natural
enemies in the area and the ability of the rice Black bug to survive in non-rice
host.

Though the rice Black bug is not yet completely eradicated, in areas where there
were outbreaks before, the Filipino farmers are now very knowledgeable on how
to manage them. The y can now tolerate the presence of Rice Black bug in their
respective areas with the enhancement and application of its natural enemies
and cultural management application.

The Pest

The Malayan Rice Black bug (RBB), Scotinophora coarctata, is quite

difficult to manage. It attacks rice plants in irrigated area from early vegetative to
maturity. The most susceptible stage is from maximum tillering to ripening stage.
Damage by this pest could result to severe crop loss or complete yield loss
during heavy infestation.

First infestation occurred in Palawan in 1979 which was followed by major

outbreak in 1982 covering 4,500 hectares of rice fields. In late 1992, RBB was
observed in Mindanao Island specifically Zamboanga City damaging about 2,070
hectares. Three years later (1995), the pest invaded the whole of Region 9
including the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). In 1996, the
pest was observed in Region 12 and an outbreak followed a year later. At
present, the pest is already a part of the ecology of the whole Mindanao Island.

The pest was spotted in the Visayas in late 1998 particularly in Negros
Occidental. It then spread to Siquijor Island then to Bohol. The pest is now the

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center of attention in Iloilo Island now with some reports that it is already spotted
in the southernmost part of Luzon.

The Life Cycle of the Pest Malayan Rice Black bug (RBB)

The pest has an incomplete metamorphosis which means from egg, it will
become nymph and to adult stage.

The female deposits its egg on the lower part of the leaves or on the basal
part of the plant near the water surface. It lays about 200 eggs during its lifetime
compared to 680 eggs as was observed by other authors in other country. They
are laid in mass of 40-60 eggs. Oviposition takes place after 12-17 days from
mating. Female protect its eggs until they hatch by covering them with its body.
The eggs are greenish when newly laid and will turn pink when mature. They will
be hatched in 3-4 days.

The RBB nymph molts 4-5 times and said to have passes 5 nymphal
instars which are completed in 25-30 days. Its nymph is colored light brown with
a yellowish-green abdomen and some black spots. It was observed that the
nymph development is longer during dry season. Like the adults, they remain at
the bases of the rice plants during daytime and feed at night.

The RBB adult is brownish black with few distinctly yellowish spots on the
thorax that bear spines below the anterior angles. It is oval shaped and about 8-9
mm long. They are very well adapted to variable conditions and may stay alive
for seven months. The adults may survive through out the period and between
seasons by resti ng hidden and inactive in soil cracks, grassy a reas or in any area
where relative humid atmosphere seems to provide a good shelter. The adult
gives off an offensive odor when disturbed.

Adults are attracted to street lights and full moon when they congregate
and fly in search of a new area for invasion. Large number of the pest is carried
by strong winds and land on new area or vegetation. Both nymph and adult feed
during daytime and mainly at the base of the rice stem but they may feed on
panicles during evening, early morning or an overcast day.

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 During daytime, the adults are lethargic and avoid sunlight. A behavioral
characteristic of RBB is their ability to stay underwater when disturbed though
more than two hours submersion will cause them death.

Nature of Damage

The nymphs and adults suck the plants sap through the stems and nodes
near the water surface. This mode of activity causes the plant to loss water,
discoloration, death in the upper leaves and failure of young leaf to open. Plant
will have stunted growth and the tillering of the plant is disturbed and reduced.
When this happens during tillering stage, the damage called dead heart occurred
while if the pest attacks during booting stage, the resulting damage is empty
panicle similar to white heads caused by stem borer. RBB feeds also during
milking stage affecting the rice grains. Severe infestations during this stage will
result to a condition called bug burn and will lead to death.

Dry season damage by RBB is more severe than wet season. It usually
occurs after heading stage when irrigation water is reduced during the maturation
period. It is said that RBB nymph takes longer time to mature during dry season
thus causing more damage to rice.

Millions of pesos due to yield loss had been inc urred since RBB invade
the Philippines. Yield losses in relate to unfilled grains, decrease in number of
tillers and less grains per panicle. It was observed that at 10 adult RBB per hill of
rice plant will cause yield loss ranging from 15% to 23%.

Management of the Pest

The Philippines employs Integrated Pest Management with emphasis on

biological control and none use of pesticide against the Malayan Rice Black bug.
Since the outbreaks in Mindanao, lesson learned that pesticide is not a good
management option for the pest. Through the KASAKALIKASAN, the IPM
Program of the Philippines, which is based on biological control, affected and to
be affected farmers are being trained in the management of the pest. The
Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and the DA IPM Program are
working hand in hand to overcome the damage caused by RBB.

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 PhilRice is responsible for training the Specialists who will train the
trainers while KASAKALIKASAN trains the farmers thru Farmer Field School
(FFS). In areas where RBB is a problem, FFS for rice always include intensive
discussions on RBB and how to manage it. It even includes simple field research
where participant farmers will conduct experiment on how to solve their major
problem on RBB management. As a standard protocol, an FFS always starts with
an AgroEcosystem Analysis or AESA, the most popular term among FFS
farmers. When a farmer graduated from a Farmer Field School, he already has
the skill to face the enemy, the RBB. The skill he acquired thru field experience
during FFS which lasted for the whole season of the crop, from land preparation
to harvesting.

Management Options

A. During Planting Time

Cultural management
- synchronous planting of varieties with the same maturity
- direct seeding of rice crop
- use resistant/tolerant variety

B. With standing crop

Cultural management
- monitoring
- flooding
- sanitation

Mechanical management
- light trapping

Biological control
- conservation of natural enemies ( by not using pesticide)
- deployment of natural enemies
- herding of ducks

C. During outbreaks
Mechanical/Physical
- light trapping
- plowing under of heavily infested areas

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 Chemical
- judicious of insecticide

D. During harvest
Mechanical/Physical
- light trapping
- plowing field immediately and flooding to submerge stubbles until they
decompose

Biological control
- herding of ducks

Among the control options, biological control is the most applied and
popular to farmers. The biological control agents consist of egg parasitoid,
predators and pathogen.

The most common beneficial organisms in the field are Telenomus triptus
, an egg parasitoid and the green muscardine fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae
which is an insect pathogen. Other predators like spiders, coccinelid beetles,
crickets and other predatory species also abounds which also help in the
management of RBB population though they are not as efficient as the first
two. Ducks also helps in the control but their use is very limited. The ducks
can be pastured only when the rice plants are already established in the
paddy.

The Biological Control Agent

A. Telenomus triptus

This wasp is a very aggressive egg parasitoid which is naturally present in

the field. Its population is enhanced by not spraying pesticide. When this
biocon agent cannot regulate RBB population, farmers are asked to rear
or thru a rearing laboratory, they can place orders for several releases in
their respective fields. The farmers can release adults or parasitized
pupae.

B. Metarhizium anisopliae

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 It is also known as the green muscardine fungus. Like Telenomus, it is
naturally present in the field. It is also being mass reared in the different
rearing laboratories throughout the country. Farmers can also get supply
of the fungus from them. The preparations is compose of inoculated corn
or palay media place inside a bags with spore concentration of 1 x 10 8.
The farmer will use the filtrate of this preparation for spray.

Status of the Pest

The RBB is not yet completely eradicated which is really impossible when
one cannot get rid of its primary host, the rice plants. Other reasons are 1) it
can adapt very well to variable conditions, 2) it can stay alive for several
months and between seasons in a relative humid atmosphere, and 3) has a
number of alternate hosts around the field . Some of the alternate hosts are
Zea mays, Colocasia esculenta, Hymenache pseudointerrupta, Panicum
amplexicaule, Scirpus grossus, Scleria sumatrensis, Vigna unguilanta, Typha
angustfolia. Echinochloa crus-galli, Brachiaria mutica and Panicum
amplixicale.

The pest which started in Palawan Island in 1982 then spread to some
provinces of Mindanao in 1992, then to the Visayas Islands in 1998, then
back to some Mindanao provinces again in 2000 and now it’s already at the
tip of the southernmost part of Luzon. RBB is a strong flyer and very much
attracted to full moon. Yet, we are able to keep its spread slower and damage
manageable primarily because of two biocontrol agents, Telenomus and
Metarhizium.

RBB is now a part of the ecology of the areas where the pest outbreaks
occurred. Farmers can now to lerate its presence in their field. They are
unanimously sold to the idea that pesticide is not an effective management
control for RBB. They all believe that biocontrol agents like Telenomus and
Metarhizium coupled with cultural management can solve their problems on
RBB.

Conclusion

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 Scotinophara coarctata can be managed effectively with the use of
biological control agents Metarhizium anisopliae, the green muscardine
fungus and Telenomus triptus, the egg parasitoid. The use of these biocon
agents must be coupled with suggested cultural management and full
cooperation of concerned stakeholders for effective management, FOR PEST
DOES NOT RESPECT BOUNDARIES AND COMMUNITY ACTION IS AN
IMPORTANT FACTOR.

References

1. Crop Protection Division, Bureau of Pla nt Industry Rice Blackbug

Record Compilation
2. Rice Technology Bulletin. Philippine Rice Research Institute. 200
No. 31
3. Essential Food for the poor. Rice Facts 2002. International Rice
Research Institute Rice Today