MAJOR PESTS OF IMPORTANT CROPS

RICE
1. GREEN LEAFHOPPER (ORDER: HOMOPTERA) - NEPHOTETTIX VIRESCENS
NEPHOTETTIX NIGROPICTUS
--UPPER LEAVES WILTED, YOUNG PLANTS STOPS GROWING AND DIES.
PANICLE FORMATION SERIOUSLY IMPAIRED
« TRANSMITS THE TUNGRO VIRUS
2. BROWN PLANTHOPPER (ORDER: HEMIPTERA) - NILAPARVATA LUGENS
--PLANTS WILTED AND STUNTED. HEAVY SOOTY MOLD GROWTH ON
SURFACES OF LEAVES. EXHIBITS CHARACTERISTICS
"HOPPERBURN" DUE TO DIRECT FEEDING.
◦◦TRANSMITS THE GRASSY (EXCESSIVE TILLERING AND STUNTED
GROWTH) AND RAGGED STUNT (RAGGED/TWISTED) VIRUS
3. RICE BUG (ORDER: HEMIPTERA) - LEPTOCORISA ORATORIUS
--GRAIN STAINED BROWN. PANICLES EMPTY OR UNDERDEVELOPED
AS A RESULT OF SUCKING GRAINS DURING THE MILK STAGE
4. Stemborers (order: Lepidoptera)
Striped stemborer - Chilo suppressalis
Yellow stemborer - Scirpophaga incertulas
Pink stemborers - Sesamia inferens
White stemborers - Scirpophaga innotata
Younger leaves and growing points wither exhibiting the so
called "deadheart
symptom" during vegetative stage. Plants attacked during the
reproductive stage exhibit white empty panicles known as
"whitehead"

5. Golden apple snail (order: Megastropoda) - Pomacea

canaliculata
• Cut base of seedlings/leaves
CORN
1. Asiatic com borer (order: Lepidoptera) - Osrtrinia furcanalis
•Larvae bores hole on stem, leaves and ears

2. Corn semi-looper (order: Lepidoptera) - Chrysodeixis chalcites

• Infests young plants, feeds on the leaf blade leaving only the veins and the midrib

3. Corn seedling maggot (order: Diptera) - Atheriogona orazae

• Affect young plants with younger leaves drying ("deadheart" symptom)
4. Corn earworm (order: Lepidoptera) - Helicoverpa armigera
• Larva bores on young unfolded leaves, ears heavily attacked
. 5. .White grub (order: Coleoptera) - Leucopholis irrorata
• Root feeder, irregular patches of yellowing or wilting plants in the field
 STORED GRAINS

 Rice weevil (order: Coleoptera) - Sitophilus oryzae

 Corn weevil (order: Coleoptera) - Sitophilus zeamais
 Rice moth (order: Coleoptera) -Corcyra cephalonica
* Feed on both milled and unmilled grains
 SUGAR CANE
Root grubs (order: Coleoptera) - Leucopholis irrorata
• Leaves unthrifty and stunted. Grubs feed on roots.
Affected leaves often shows patches of initially yellowing
plants.
Heart borer (order: Lepidoptera) - Tetramoera schistaceana
Yellow tip borer (order: Lepidoptera) - Chilo infuscatellus
• Larva bores through the stem - loss of sugar content
 VEGETABLE CROPS

Crucifers
(pechay, cabbage, cauliflower, radish, etc.)
a. Diamond back moth (order: Lepidoptera) -
Plutella xylostella
◦◦Leaves eaten out and turned into lace-like appearance
with irregular and small holes on leaves
b. Cabbage worm (order: Lepidoptera) –
Crocidolomia binotalis
◦◦Irregular perforation on the leaves
c. Cutworm (order: Lepidoptera) - Spodoptera litura
◦◦Leaves and stems of newly planted seedlings cut-
off/eaten- out
 Cucurbits
(bottle gourd, amplaya, squash, patola)

a.Yellow squash beetle (order: Coleoptera) -

Aulocophora similis
◦◦Grubs bore into the roots and adults scrape epidermis
of leaves giving it a shredded appearance
b. Melon fruitfly (order: Diptera) -
- Bactocera cucurbitae
◦◦Fruit-roting inside with maggots
 Solanaceous crops
(tomato, eggplant, pepper, etc.)

a. Tomato lady beetle (order: Coleoptera) -

Epilachna vigintisexpunctata philippinensis
« Adult larva scrape epidermis of leaves
resulting in characteristic net-like damage
b. Eggplant fruit and shoot borer (order:
Lepidoptera) - Leucinoides orbonalis
» Growing shoots and fruits are bored; shoots
eventually die
 Malvaceous crops
(cotton, okra, kenaf)
a.Cotton stainer (order: Hemiptera) -
Dysdercus cingulatus
• Bolls discolored and resulted to premature fruit fall, plant
growth become stunted when population is extremely high
b. Cotton bollworm (order: Lepidoptera) -
Helicoperva armigera
• Larva feeds on terminal buds, floral buds and developing
bolls
 Legumes
(cowpea, mungbean, soybeans, bush sitao)

a. Beanfly (order: Diptera) - Ophiomyia phaseoli .

• Young plants especially exposed to attack especially
after emergence. Leaves streaked with oviposition
punctures. Maggots remain and feed on the stem epidermis.
Stem above the root thickens and growth is impaired.
b.Aphids (order: Homoptera) - Aphis craccivora
• Heavily infested plants have shoots deformed and
distorted. Leaves are slightly curled downwards and fruit
formation is prevented.
c. Bean pod borers (order: Lepidoptera) -
Etiella zinckinella
Marucca testulalis
Etiella - pod partially stained dark, occupied by
caterpillars and filled with greenish pulpy
excrement. Larva feeds inside the pod.
Marucca - leaves spun together and eaten.
Flowers and buds also attacked. Pods with holes
were excrement is visible. Seeds in the pods are
also destroyed..
d. Leaffolders (order: Homoptera) -
Homona coffearia
• Larvae feed inside the rolled or folded leaves
e. Leafhopper (order: Homoptera) -
Empoasca ricei
• Leaves turn yellow and show necrotic patches, their margin
slightly curled. Shoots attacked are deformed oftentimes with
uniform seeds.
f. bean Lycaenid (order: Lepidoptera) -
Euchrysops cnejus
• pods bored by slug-like larvae
 ROOT CROPS

1. Sweet potato weevil (order: Coleoptera) - Cylas

formicarius formicarius
Tubers with rotting section and legless larvae
tunnel and feed inside the tubers. Infested tubers
exude disagreeable odor and bitter taste.
 FRUIT CROPS
1. Mango
a. leafhopper (order: Hemiptera) - Idioscopus niveosparus
Idioscopus clypealis
• blossom withers and fruit setting is prevented; sooty molds are
abundant
b. Philippine fruitfly (order: Diptera) – Bactrocera
philippinensis
• Maggots feed on fruits which eventually rot due to secondary
contamination with pathogens
c. Mango twig borer (order: Coleoptera) - Niphomiclea albata
Niphonuclea capita
• Twigs are girdled and eventually wither and die. Larvae inside
dead twigs.
 2. Banana
a. Banana leafroller (order: Lepidoptera) - Erionatha
thrax
• Portions of leaves rolled. Powdery caterpillar inside
feeds on the leaves
b. Banana weevil (order: Coleoptera) –
Cosmopolitus sordidus
• Plants wilt and turn yellow and collapse.
• Pseudostem infested with weevil; grubs on rootstock
c. Abaca aphid (order: Hemiptera) –
Pentalonia nigronervosa
• Transmits virus causing bunchy top symptom
 3. COCONUT

1. Asiatic palm weevil (order: Coleoptera) -

Rhynchoporus ferrugineus
• Adults bore through the cabbage and legless larvae feed on the
soft bud of the coconut resulting to the destruction of the whole
crown
2. Coconut rhinoceros beetle (order: Coleoptera) -
Oryctes rhinoceros
• Damage inflicted solely by the adult that bores through the
unopened leaves of the central
bud. When leaves open, triangular gashes are disclosed as if
component leaflets had been cut
by scissors.
3. Coconut leaf Bettle (Brontispa spp.)– feed on young shoots of
coconut
 4. COFFEE

1.Coffee berry borer (order: Coleoptera) -

Hypothenemus hampei
• Holes on berries with feeding or adult beetles
2. Leaffolder (order: Lepidoptera) -
Homona coffearia
• Larvae fold leaves and eat on the epidermis
 5. CACAO

1. Pachyrrhynchid beetle (order: Coleoptera) -

Pachyrrhynchus moniliferus

2. Pink mealybugs (order: Hemiptera) -

Planococcus lilacinus
-Fluffy pinkish mealybugs feed on leaves and young
shoots
-Sooty molds present
-Stunted growth

3. Cacao pod borer (order: Lepidoptera) -
Conopomorpha cramerella
• Beans of older pods are bored and eventually rot
4. Mosquito bugs (order: Hemiptera) -
Helopeltis collaris
Helopeltis bakeri
• Pods riddled with black necrotic areas
 VERTEBRATE PESTS

1. Birds - Philippine weaver

 Feed mainly on grains (e.g. rice)
 Cause shattering of grains when they alight on panicles
2. Rodents - Norway rat - Rattus norvegicus (12)
Philippine rice field rat - Rattus mindanensis (10)
Asian rice field rat - Rattus argentiventer (12)
Polynesian rat - Rattus exulans (8)
 Feed directly on grains (e.g. corn, rice) and other fleshy part of the
plants (e.g. sweet potato, coconut)
 Cause indirect damages by transmitting human diseases and
contaminating stored products with their urine and feces.
 NATURAL ENEMIES

 Parasitoids - biological control agents that require only one host

to complete their life cycle
 Predators - biological control agents that consume several hosts
to complete their life cycle
 Pathogens - microorganisms that cause disease on other
organisms
-- e.g. Metarrhizhun anisopliae - a fungus that infects rhinoceros
beetle
--Bacillus thuringensis - a bacteria that produces toxins and kills
larvae of cruciferous pests (e.g. diamond back moth)

Bt gene has been incorporated in corn to produce innate

resistance against corn borer (Ostrinia furnacalis)– Bt Corn thru
genetic engineering.