BPH in Paddy
BHUMI AGRO 08 Sep 2026

Brown Plant Hopper in Paddy: Symptoms, Causes, and Control

Brown Plant Hopper in Paddy

Brown Plant Hopper (BPH, scientific name Nilaparvata lugens) is a tiny insect pest that feeds on the sap of the paddy plant at the base. It is widely recognized as one of the most disruptive agricultural pests in Asian paddy-growing regions.

Both adults and nymphs feed at the base of the plant and cause yellowing and drying. This condition is known as hopper burn; its patches can wipe out large areas of a field. Found mainly at the base of the paddy plants above the waterline. 

Symptoms

  • Insects at lower tillers: clusters of insects and nymphs grouped on the stem bases.

  • Yellowing of lower leaves: from the tip towards the middle of the leaf.

  • Reduced plant vigour: slower growth

  • Sooty mould: sticky honeydew secretions accumulate at the base of the plant, forming a black, sooty fungal coating. 

  • Hopperburn: the most significant one. Leaves turn brown and dry completely, giving a burnt appearance. 

  • Circular Patches: irregular, oval, yellow patches appear in the field rather than scattered randomly.

  • Lodging: weakened plants collapse or fall over easily.

  • Stunting: plants remain shorter with poor panicle development.

  • Disease transmission: BPH transmits rice ragged stunt virus and rice grassy stunt virus.

    • Rice ragged stunt virus: ragged, notched, dark green leaves, twisted leaf margins.

    • Rice grassy stunt virus: extreme plant stunting, extreme tillering, pale green to yellow leaves, bushy appearance. 


Causes

  • Indiscriminate insecticide use: it kills natural predators like wolf spiders (Pardosa pseudoannulata), mirid bugs (Cyrtorhinus lividipennis), parasitoids, damselflies, etc.

  • Excess nitrogen application: a heavy dose of nitrogen produces overly lush, soft, sap-rich plant tissues that favour BPH growth.

  • Dense, close spacing: it creates a dense canopy that traps moisture and blocks sunlight. This creates a warm, humid, shaded environment in which BPH thrives.

  • Continuous cropping: growing paddy on the same land without crop rotation provides a host bridge for BPH to build up over seasons.

  • Long-term standing water: standing water in the field, due to continuous flooding or poor drainage, favours BPH infestation.

  • Use of susceptible varieties: Growing the same pest-susceptible rice variety over large areas makes it easier for pests to spread rapidly once an infestation starts. 


Control

  • Drain the field for 3-4 days during early-stage infestation. 

  • Use split nitrogen application (basal, tillering, panicle initiation).

  • Plant crops at a minimum distance of (20 cm × 15 cm) and leave 30 cm between every row of crops every 2-3 meters. 

  • Use BPH-resistant rice varieties.

  • Practice Balanced fertilization.

  • Practice alternate wetting and drying (AWD), where possible.

  • Protect natural enemies of BPH (spiders, mirid bugs, parasitoids).

  • Use light traps at night and yellow pan traps during the day.

  • Use bio-insecticides like Azadirachtin 5% EC (80–150 ml/acre), Metarhizium anisopliae 1% WP (1–2 L/acre).

  • Apply MIG 303 on your infected crop. It is a bio-pesticide specially formulated for BPH control. Spray at regular intervals of 10-15 days, as pest damage appears.

  • Apply chemical control when hoppers reach the Economic Threshold Level (ETL): at the vegetative stage, 5-10 hoppers per hill, and at the panicle initiation stage, 10-20 hoppers per hill․ Commonly recommended products and doses:

    • Pymetrozine 50% WG - 120 g/acre

    • Dinotefuran 20% SG - 80-100 g/acre

    • Triflumezopyrim 10% SC - 94 ml/acre

    • Flonicamid 50% WG - 60-80 g/acre

    • Thiamethoxam 25% WG - 40 g/acre

    • Imidacloprid 17.8% SL - 50-100 ml/acre

    • Buprofezin 25% SC - ~400 ml/acre (often used for WBPH/BPH complexes)

    • Buprofezin 15% + Acephate 35% WP - 500 g/acre

    • Fipronil 5% SC - 400-600 ml/acre

    • Acephate 75% SP - 400 g/acre

    • Fenobucarb (BPMC) 50% EC - 300-400 ml/acre (2 ml/L)

Note: While spraying, direct the nozzle towards the lower stem or leaf sheath, where BPH concentrates.

  • Avoid these :

    • Cypermethrin

    • Deltamethrin

    • Lambda‑cyhalothrin

    • Fenvalerate

    • Alpha‑cypermethrin

    • Methyl parathion

    • Fenthion

    • Quinalphos

    • Malathion


Conclusion

Stop fighting hoppers with hotter sprays. Starve them with drier soil, balanced nitrogen, and a field full of hungry spiders. 




Frequently Asked Questions

The main symptom is hopperburn, leaves turning yellow, then brown, and drying up in a scorched pattern. Damage typically appears in expanding circular patches in the field, often with sooty mold at the plant base and lodging in severely affected plants. In some cases, BPH also transmits viral diseases like grassy stunt or ragged stunt.

The most effective approach combines cultural practices, draining the field for 3–4 days at early infestation and splitting nitrogen application, with a direct control product like a bio-pesticide, and conserving natural predators by avoiding unnecessary broad-spectrum insecticide use. Relying on a single method, especially repeated use of the same chemical insecticide, is less effective long-term due to resistance buildup.

Yes, BPH is one of the most economically damaging pests in paddy. Beyond direct feeding damage that can kill plants outright (hopperburn), it can also transmit viral diseases like grassy stunt and ragged stunt, compounding the yield loss from an infestation.

This is often caused by broad-spectrum insecticide use that kills the natural predators, spiders and predatory insects, that would otherwise keep BPH populations suppressed, allowing a resurgence. Repeated use of the same insecticide can also lead to resistant BPH populations. Using a targeted bio-pesticide, protecting natural predators, and rotating control approaches helps prevent this cycle.

Yes. Cultural practices like field draining and balanced nitrogen management reduce outbreak risk without any chemical input, and bio-pesticides made from plant extracts, such as Mig 303, are suitable for organic farming while still providing effective, fast-acting control against BPH.