Effect of plant hopper pests on rice plants.

Recently, residents' rice crops suffered losses during the harvest. The loss of the
harvest was caused by planthopper pests that attack residents' rice plants. Planthopper pests
are the most dangerous and harmful rice pests, especially in Indonesia. This little insect sucks
the liquid of the rice plants which causes the rice plants to experience drought, can not grow
well and at the same time also spread the virus (reovirus) which causes rice plants to be
infected with tungro disease.

Rice plants become dry and can not grow well because of planthopper pests that
attack. Planthopper pests usually begin to attack rice plants at the age of 15 days after
planting and symptoms of attack will appear at the age of plants 20-40 days after planting and
begin to attack when entering the growth stage until the panicle release phase. Planthopper
pests attack and damage rice plants by sucking plant cell fluids until the plants dry and cause
a burning effect. The attack can create drought in the area being attacked, not only that due to
the attack rice plants also become stunted.

Tungro disease is an important disease in rice plants (Oryza sativa). This disease
spread not only occurs in Indonesia but also occurs in several other Asian countries such as
India, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Thailand. This disease is caused by infection
with two viruses, namely the stem form virus Rice tungro bacilliform badnavirus (RTBV)
and the round shape Rice tungro spherical waikavirus (RTSV) virus. Both types of viruses
can be in a cell together because between one virus and the other there is no cross protection.
In spreading the two viruses that cause tungro disease, it requires a vector, namely by the
green leafhopper (Nephotettix virescen) in a semipersistent manner (the length of time the
virus is held in the vector for only a few days). This is because the two viruses do not have a
means of movement to move from one place to another place. Rice plants infected with the
tungro virus show symptoms of discoloration in young leaves, which is yellow-orange and
generally changes in leaf color starting from the tip of the leaf, the rice plant becomes
stunted, few tillers, and stunted growth. The severity and severity of symptoms that appear to
indicate the severity of the disease in rice plants infected with the tungro virus. The severity
of tungro disease itself depends on the level of resistance of rice varieties and the age of rice
plants at the time of infection. Young rice plants are generally more susceptible to infection
with the tungro virus than older plants.
 It is necessary to control plant hopper pests to prevent crop failure in residents' rice
crops. To prevent the occurrence of planthopper pests on a scale above the reasonable
threshold. The steps to prevent planthopper pests are by using superior rice seedlings which
physically do have resistance to tungro virus infection carried by planthopper, routinely weed
cleaning interrupted rice plants and spraying insecticides made from carbofuran or
imadicoplorid routinely every 4-7 days accordingly dose. This will help control the
planthopper population naturally.