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- Rice Leaf Miner Tunnel in Rice Leaf
Rice Leaf Miner - Hydrellia griseola
The rice leaf miner is a sporadic problem in Louisiana. Rice is attacked in the early spring, and infestations usually occur on the upper side of levees where water is deepest. Problems are more severe in continuously flooded rice than in periodically flooded rice and when water is more than 6 inches deep.
Larvae tunnel between the layers of the leaf, attacking and killing leaves closest to the water. Larvae move up the plant, killing additional leaves, and under heavy infestations the entire plant may die, reducing stands severely.
The larvae are legless, transparent or cream-colored. Larvae become yellow to green light as they feed. The larvae or pupae can be found by separating the layers of the leaf.
Mature larvae are about ¼ inch long; they feed for 5 to 12 days before pupating. Adults emerge after 5 to 9 days and live 2 to 4 months.
Under ideal conditions, the life cycle can be completed in as few as 15 days. In cool weather, the life cycle can extend for more than one month.
Click on the links above to go to the Rice Leaf Miner home page or the Rice Insects Photo Galleries home page.
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture