Symptoms of damage:

• Adults feed on chlorophyll by scraping and causing white parallel streaks.
• Grubs tunnel through leaf tissues and make blisters near leaf tips.
• Whitish and membranous leaves. .

Identification of insect pest:

• Egg: Eggs are laid inside minute slits on the tender leaves generally toward the tip
• Crub: The grub is whitish yellow and flattened. It feeds inside the leaf tissue by mining. It pupates inside
• Adult: The adult beetle is somewhat square shaped about 1/6 to 1/8” in length and width. Dark blue or blackish in colour with spines all over the body.

Management:

• ETL: 2 adults /hill
• Avoid over-fertilizing the rice field. In situations of high hispa incidence, top-dressing of nitrogen fertilizer may be skipped.
• Sustained collection of adults by sweep net and destruction.
• Spray/broadcast/dust any one of the following insecticides per acre based on ETL: carbofuran 3% CG 10 kg; emamectin benzoate 1.9 EC 170 ml; malathion 5 DP 10 kg; malathion 50 EC 460 ml.