Field library

Brown Planthopper

A small brown sap-sucking insect that sits low down at the base of the plant, just above the water. Hundreds of them together suck the stem dry. Round patches of the crop turn yellow, then brown, and dry off — this is called hopper burn. The same insect also carries virus diseases from plant to plant.

How to scout

Part the crop with your hands, bend the plants over and tap the base against your palm or over the water; check the bottom four inches of ten hills for brown hoppers and for the sooty black mould that grows where they feed.