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RICE RATOONING - IRRI books - International Rice Research Institute

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204 <strong>RICE</strong> <strong>RATOONING</strong>2, 3). Microvelia was highly abundant on the main crop and regained a high level onboth the ratoon and seeded second crops after an initial population buildup.As would be expected of an aquatic species, significantly more Microveliaoccurred on continuously flooded plots.The Cyrtorhinus population was severely reduced by the main crop harvest,probably because their eggs were removed in the straw. Numbers built up slowly onthe seeded second crop, then rapidly declined as the crop matured. Populations werecontinuously low on the ratoon crop, perhaps in response to GLH numbers. Thedifference in Cyrtorhinus numbers between the seeded second crop and the ratooncrop was significant. The higher numbers of GLH on the wet-seeded plots may alsoexplain why Cyrtorhinus was significantly more abundant on wet-seeded plots thanon transplanted plots.Significantly fewer GLH occurred on the ratoon, apparently because of highnumbers of Lycosa hunting spiders. Sasaba and Kawahara (31) underline theimportance of Lycosa in regulating GLH population. They observed that this spiderclimbed rice plants at night. Because GLH usually inhabit the upper canopy, it islikely that Lycosa encountered more GLH than other hopper species.Orb-web spiders spin their webs in the rice canopy where GLH live; they alsocould have selectively preyed on more GLH.On the other hand, high numbers of Atypena space-web spider on the ratooncrop explained the significantly low numbers of WBPH. This small spider couldhave exerted considerable control of WBPH because of its habit of constructingwebs between rice tillers at the base of the rice plants, where WBPH also live.The equal abundance of ripple bugs on both the ratoon crop and the wetseededsecond crops probably explained the lack of difference in BPH numbers onboth ratoon and seeded second crops. Because the ripple bug prefers small hoppernymphs (25), its impact on the pest population should be greatest right after egghatch. This was confirmed in a preliminary cage experiment with BPH in which thepest population was reduced by ripple bug after hatch. Under normal fieldconditions, BPH frequently fall off plants to be attacked by Microvelia.Suitability of ratoon as insect hostResults show ratoon rice as a poor host for RWM, CW, and GSL; survival and bodyweight of these insects were low (Table 3). The GHC, LF, and GLH reared on ratoonrice also showed body weight reductions, indicating that ratoon rice is less nutritiousthan transplanted rice. However, developmental periods of insects tested on ratoonand transplanted rice did not differ significantly.Perhaps leaf toughness of the ratoon plant was responsible for the weightdifferences and lower survival rates of some insect pest species studied. Toughmature leaves and stems make feeding difficult for larvae, nymphs, or maggots,decreasing the rate at which they can ingest leaf material and minimizing anypotential for increased feeding rates that could compensate for the low nutrientcontent of the leaves. Toughness of the leaves or stems of the host plants has beenshown to inhibit feeding by several other species of phytophagous insects (1, 27, 32).These studies suggest that leaf toughness by itself may often function as a defensemechanism against phytophagous insects. It is also possible that toxic secondary

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