GENERAL Secretary of the Guyana Rice Producers Association (GRPA), Dharamkumar Seeraj, is urging rice farmers to heed advisories by both the RPA and the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) to keep an eye on possible increases in the local paddy bug population.These pests cause serious damage to paddy at the milking stage and all the commercial varieties, including the rustic and other varieties, were found infested by this pest. Paddy bugs can be found at the top and base of the rice plants above the water level.

QUOTE: The field days, along with visits by RPA and GRDB extension officers, play an important role in controlling paddy bug infestations.

The main problem facing the crop has been the lack of early bug sweeping in the fields by extension officers to determine the bug population within the various sections.
To this end, Seeraj stressed the need for farmers to take advantage of the field days hosted by the GRPA, when farmers can access information on controlling the pest population.
FIELD DAYS
He noted that farmers at Number 60 Village, Region 6 (East Berbice/Corentyne), benefited from a field day on Monday, while farmers in Leguan, Region 3 (Essequibo Islands/ West Demerara) had a similar activity, yesterday.
According to him, the field days along with visits by GRPA and GRDB extension officers play an important role in controlling paddy bug infestations.
Seeraj highlighted the need for control, considering the devastating consequences of damage caused by paddy bugs.
During the spring crop 2013, an outbreak of paddy bug infestation was noticed in Region 2 (Pomeroon/ Supenaam). The prolonged wet periods, accompanied by strong winds, were considered to have caused the migration and dispersal of bugs.
CONTROL
Last year, the Ministry of Agriculture, the GRDB and scientists at the BURMA Research Centre worked closely with farmers to control the paddy bug population.
Entomologist Viviane Baharally, in a prior statement, advised that the most effective insecticide is Imidacloprid, which is used for the control of sucking insects, which include rice hoppers, aphids, thrips, whiteflies, termites, turf insects, soil insects and some beetles.
It is most commonly used on rice, cereal, maize, potatoes, vegetables, sugar beets, fruit, cotton, hops and turf, and is especially systemic when used as a seed or soil treatment.
Baharally said that these bugs are present mainly in the fields of those farmers who are at least 50-60 days away from sowing.
She, however, opined that some farmers whose crops are in the flowering stage may experience some infestation as well.
MONITORING
The entomologist also advised that farmers with crops in the flowering stage should not spray their crops between the hours of eight in the morning and four in the afternoon each day, because this may damage their seeds, causing them to become wind seeds. She said that at this point monitoring is critical, especially in the evenings.
Baharally noted that in order to be paddy bug free, one would need to clear dams, clear weeds and get rid of the alternative host of the bugs.
Paddy bugs have a short life span of 17 days and in some cases the adult would live up to 37 days. However, it is a highly reproductive pest. This is due to the change in weather patterns, from the El Nino season to the rainy season.
Stakeholder agencies have since expressed their support for farmers in controlling the pest population.
The bug infestation has taken its toll on Guyana’s rice industry for the past decade, resulting in the loss of export earnings in US dollars and a shortfall for the domestic market.
Written By Vanessa Narine