October 20, 2025 • 47 mins
In this episode, Sarah Marsh Janish talks with Dr. Lina Bernaola, an assistant professor in the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Department of Entomology, to give a rundown on rice delphacid, a pest that is ravaging the Southern Rice Belt and is a vector of Rice Hoja Blanca. While it is not present in CA yet, it's important to be aware of potential threats to the US Rice industry
Rice Delphacid Resources
USA Rice podcast episode about Rice Delphacid
Texas A&M AgriLife tackles rice delphacid devastation
AgriLife Research leads rice delphacid and hoja blanca virus studies
Other Resources
Rice in the Delta
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_02 (00:10):
Hello and welcome to Thoughts on Rice, a podcast
hosted by the University ofCalifornia Cooperative Extension
Rights Advisor.
I'm one of your hosts, SarahMarch Yamich, and I'm a Rice
Farm Advisor for Calusa and YoloCounties.
SPEAKER_01 (00:26):
I'm Whitney Brooke Forest.
I'm the Cooperative ExtensionRights Advisor for Center, Cuba,
Plaster, and Sacramento County.
My name is Luis Despino.
I'm the Rice Farming SystemsAdvisor for Youth and Lynn
Counties.
I'm Michelle Leinfelder Miles.
I'm a farm advisor in the Deltaregion.
I work on all sorts of fieldcrops, grains and forages, but
(00:49):
one of those is rice.
And the counties that I coverare San Joaquin, Sacramento,
Yolo, Solano, and Contra Costacounties.
SPEAKER_02 (00:58):
Together, the UCCE Rice Farm Advisors need to
provide relevant topicalresearch-backed information
relating to California riceproduction.
For the first time on Thoughtson Rice, we are excited to
welcome our first guest to notwork in California Rice, Dr.
(01:19):
Lena Bernila, an entomologistwith Texas AM AgriLife Research
and Extension.
Dr.
Bernila is a key member of aresearch team that is seeking to
combat the rise of ricedelfacid, a newer pest that is
wreaking havoc across Texas andLouisiana as a vector of the
Hoya Blanca disease.
While we on the West Coast haveyet to see this pest in our
(01:40):
field, knock on wood, it'simportant to stay vigilant about
pests that have impact to therice industry as a whole.
And as Dr.
Bernilla will mention,especially about pests that can
disperse as easily as this onecan.
(02:26):
Well, we're really pleased tohave you on here.
Actually, you are our inauguralout-of-state guest.
So we are just absolutelythrilled that we have you here
to make the time to talk aboutthe rice tool facet because as I
know that probably most of ourlisteners are aware, that's a
pretty huge pest when it comesto the rice industry.
(02:47):
But before we get into that, I'dfirst like to ask you just a
little bit about youreducational background and how
you came to be in your currentrole.
SPEAKER_00 (02:57):
Sure.
I'm originally from Lima, Peru,and Lina from Lima, where potato
and rice are important staples.
And I always been fascinated howplants and insects interact.
So after I finish myundergraduate studies back home,
I received my master in agronomyand my master in agronomy and
(03:17):
PhD in entomology at LouisianaState University, focusing on
rice-insect interactions.
So currently I am an assistantprofessor in the rice
entomologists of Texas A ⁇ MAgri-Life Research and Bowman.
And my work focuses onunderstanding the biology,
ecology, and management ofinsect pests of rice in Texas,
(03:39):
as well as developingsustainable management
strategies that makes itpractical for rice farmers.
SPEAKER_02 (03:47):
And as I'm sure our listeners are aware, I mean, the
station in Beaumont is acritical hub of rice research,
not only for Texas, but acrossthe Mid-South.
So it's just on a personal note,that's where our very own Luis
Espino did a lot of his graduatework.
So it's it's nice how everybody,it's such a small world and
everything kind of tiestogether.
SPEAKER_00 (04:10):
Also, maybe not that is not important to this
podcast, but he's also panoing.
SPEAKER_02 (04:15):
Exactly, exactly.
And also an entomologist.
So um Lena, I think what we wantto focus on mostly today is
talking about the rice delfacid.
And so as I understand it, this,I guess, was recognized in Texas
approximately 2015.
But can you give us a bit ofbackground about how it was
(04:38):
discovered, who first saw it,and maybe what that looked like
at that end?
SPEAKER_00 (04:44):
Sure.
The rice delfacid is a plankhopper and is an invasive insect
pest of rice in the UnitedStates.
As you mentioned it back in2015, it was first recorded in
Texas.
And since then, it has beenspread throughout the Texas rice
belt.
Who first identified this insectwas a crop consultant called
(05:04):
Cliff Mock, because he wasscouting his rice fields and
discovered the spest.
At that point, he got in touchwith a former entomologist at
AM, Dr.
Moway, and both identified thatthe insect as the plant hoppers
that we have today.
Then to give you just a littlemore history about it, 2016 and
(05:26):
17 was in it wasn't really amajor issue in Texas.
2018 it showed up as well, notin high numbers, but to the
point that it was not aconsistent pest yet.
2019, 2020, 2021 wassporadically coming back in and
go.
(05:46):
So we thought that our winterswere having a huge impact in the
way how those populations werenot stable at that time.
2022, when I started on thisposition, I started to see this
pest more consistently.
2023, it wasn't in major, itwasn't a big problem in 2023.
2024, on the opposite side, andin 2025, we have seen that these
(06:09):
numbers are increasingexponentially to the point that
it's now an emergency situation.
SPEAKER_02 (06:17):
So those years that you mentioned, I mean, in 17 it
was Hurricane Harvey, and thenin 24 it was Hurricane Barrel,
if I'm remembering correctly.
Is there any indication that theweather events had some kind of
impact on the population?
SPEAKER_00 (06:34):
Yes, it is possible because we know that since this
is a native species, and thoseare also tiny insects.
Wind patterns or storms orhurricanes that we have play an
important role in transferringthose insects as well from one
area to another.
But yeah, so we have the commonuh these two common hurricanes
(06:55):
in 204, 2024, very, and in 2017,I believe it was Harvey that I'm
not aware in 2017 about majoroutbreaks of this pest because
at that point I'm assuming uhfarmers were more worried about
the flooding situation that washappening after the hurricane.
So, but uh 2018 is when uh wesaw more numbers in some
(07:17):
counting areas.
So initially in 2015, this pestwas uh just showing in a one
specific county in Galveston,and then after 2018, it has been
spreading in other uh ricecounties as well in Texas, until
mid-2045, where we are seeing itpretty much in all the Texas
rice world.
SPEAKER_02 (07:38):
I did want to ask if you could give us a description
of what this actually lookslike, what this insect looks
like, if there's any differencesbetween the sexes or any kind of
morphological characteristics.
SPEAKER_00 (07:51):
So, in terms of identification, the adult rice
alfaces are tiny and measureabout a quarter inch in length.
And both sexes, the females andmales, look slightly different.
Males, for example, are brownwith black wings in the tip of
the wings, and while the femalesare paler and often larger.
(08:15):
So both sexes bear a yellow towhite stripe along the back
between the wings.
And in addition, the femalesalso have shortened wings.
So the females with short wingshave a bulbous abdomen, and this
form emphasizes more areproduction success for the
(08:37):
females, laying more eggs thatcan cause also rapid population
expansion.
We have seen that in Texas aswell.
Then we have the nymphs, theseare the youngel facets, as I
like to call it, which passthrough five different stages of
growth before they become adult.
So they are smaller, wingless,they have two characteristic
(09:00):
brown abdominal stripes alongthe abdomen.
So when we talk about now thelife cycle, it lasts between
four to six weeks, and it'sdepending on the temperature,
which is key really to thesuccess of the number of days
for this plant hopper.
First, we have the eggs.
(09:21):
These eggs are inserted into therice leaf sheets or the midway
so that people can remember moreexactly where in the leaf.
And when those eggs hatch withinabout five to eight days, those
eggs are so tiny and are hard tosee without magnification.
And also you will need todissect the leaf to be able to
(09:43):
see those eggs.
But when those eggs hatch,usually the first instant means
are you know so small andwingless, and you will need a
magnifying, I guess, zoom sothat you can see really those in
the field.
Otherwise, what you will be ableto see in the field are the uh
(10:04):
second to third instance becausethose will start to show the
characteristics to brownabdominal stripes.
But after hatching or throughthe whole five instant stages,
it can take about 15 to 20 days,and they gradually increase in
size as well as in thepigmentation, resembling a pale,
(10:28):
some kind of a pale coloration,and but also when you get to see
the fifth instar, those are kindof like a smaller version of the
adults, but without the wings.
And the other thing is since wehave five different instars in
those names, the first andsecond instars usually stay in
(10:49):
the same place because they arenot yet capable to move so much
or flight.
But the third, four, and fiveinstant, they move more to find,
you know, to keep feeding on theplant.
So that those are the onesusually that we will be able to
see in the field.
Technically, when we have thenymph and the stage in the rice
growing season, those nymphthose nymphs usually will stay
(11:13):
in the lower part of the canopyof the rice plant, while the
late installs and the adultsstay in the upper part of the
canopy.
And that's when we will start tosee in the field as well.
Now the nymph stage is the mostdamaging stage in regards to
rice production, because theonly thing that they do is just
(11:34):
feed on the plant.
Adults will fly and go to otherplaces to conquer other places,
right?
So then the females' short wingsthey stay in the field because
they are not capable to fly somuch, while the adults' long
wings are the ones that migrateto new fields.
SPEAKER_02 (11:53):
Do they have any idea of where this pest is
native to or where it could havepossibly come from?
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (12:00):
Yes, it is and based on a original study that Dr.
Mogwey and a former PhD studentthat wish we both share, they
did a study using a specificmolecular marker that was
identified to recognize part ofthe the delfacid genome.
And those were 99% identical forthe species that were found in
(12:25):
South America as well as SouthAmerica mainly.
So Moway and uh JacquelineMartin uh they uh collected
insects from those countingareas in Texas and compared
those with the insects andnative from South America and
demonstrated that there was a 99compatibility on the uh genome
(12:46):
of this uh both insects thatmakes us believe that hurricanes
were part of that way how thosemigrated here.
SPEAKER_02 (12:53):
And then as far as hosts for this insect, is it
just rice that they like to feedon, or are there other crops or
plants that they like to infest?
SPEAKER_00 (13:04):
Based on my scouting and monitoring efforts, what I'm
noticing is that this planthopper also uh likes other
grasses, but the main focus isrice.
However, during theoverwintering season, we are
thinking that perhaps thosemight heighten those grasses
areas.
So we are now going to have amore diligent work in
(13:26):
controlling during the otherwinter season where these areas
or the follow areas where therice is not growing anymore
during the season to be able tosee if there are some patterns
or finding the adults in thoseareas.
Also, I have a colony of therice alpha in a Texas AM in
Bowman.
(13:46):
And I'm noticing that, you know,as we grow rice, some wheats
also show up there.
And we notice that also thedelfacet like to feed on those
as well.
So we are in the future, in thenear future, looking into
alternate hosts as well todemonstrate uh how efficient or
more attractive are those uhthese insects to any uh
alternate uh crop.
(14:07):
You know, I would like toemphasize that this insect and
really poses a serious threat uhto the Texas and to the rice
production in general because ofits uh feeding habits and its
role as a vector of a plantdisease.
Uh okay, something also that uhI forgot to mention is that
females can lay eggs in between100 to 150 eggs.
(14:28):
So that's a lot of eggs.
Quite a bit.
Yes.
So then when those eggs hatch,you will have really, you know,
high number of means.
And those babies will just feedon the plant, stay there.
How many generations are theretypically?
That is that is a good question.
So what it depends on thetemperature, because
(14:49):
temperature, environmentalconditions also are play an
important role in terms of uhthe life cycle of this pest.
It can be between a three andsometimes, perhaps depending.
For example, in Texas, we haveone season of rice, but we have
two harvest.
You know, we have the main cropand the ratoon crop.
(15:09):
Because of that, we kind of givemore to the insect opportunity
to stay in the field and feedand keep feeding on the plant,
especially in the ratoon crop,where it's where it's more of an
impact or the damage has beenshowing in the text of rice
world.
How many generations we canhave?
I would say it depends, it willdepend.
(15:30):
But in my experience, based onour rice alpha city colony, we
are seeing that the life cyclecan last between 20 to 25 days.
Now, if you extrapolate that tothe field, when they started to
show up, it can be between twoor three generations in in areas
where you know temperature isreally, I guess, um favorable
(15:51):
for them.
SPEAKER_02 (15:52):
Wow, yeah.
And then as the nymphs movethrough the instars, as they get
larger, does the amount ofdamage they create, is that
proportional to them gettinglarger as well, or does it stay
pretty consistent?
SPEAKER_00 (16:04):
Not to the size, to the numbers that you see in the
field.
The more nymphs that you see inthe field, you will see the
damage, which based on thefeeding, that type of damage is
more mechanical damage, which iscalled a hopperburn.
So when, and that happensusually in areas where high
numbers of delfaces are, youknow, in that area that they are
(16:25):
just feeding on the plant.
And I don't know if you haveseen the big and patches of dead
material that you know is uh dueto this type of damage.
So what it happens is becausethis is a sucking insect, uh it
extracts all the nutrients fromthe phloem or the inside the
plant.
So it basically by the plant bynot having nutrients, what it
(16:49):
will eventually is just die.
So it will start with orange uhcolorations in the plant, or
especially in the stem or in theleaf, and then become you know a
brown coloration, which I willcall it more necrotic, or just
the plant will die.
And it dries basically, andthose basically are in the
(17:09):
patches or the hopperbone thatyou can see in the field.
So, however, even though if yousee hopperbone in the field,
it's already a sign that youhave a high infestation level.
This insect also carries a virusthat transmits a disease that is
called Oja Blanca disease.
(17:29):
It's an hoja blanca disease thatit can be detrimental for rice
production, especially in thetime of the appearance of the
disease.
So in uh the native countries,usually they see the disease in
the vegetative growth, that itcan sometimes last to the
reproductive stage or that whenthe plants are already maturing.
(17:50):
But the symptoms are clearlywhen you see the green color of
the plants, basically in thevegetative growth or early
booting or early maturity.
So the white, the hoja blancadisease in in English is the
white leaves, which is thecharacteristic white stripe, you
know, coloration that you cansee in the leaves, that that is
one type of uh you know symptom.
(18:11):
It can also produce stuntedgrowth, formation of panicle as
well.
So it can be really significantfor a yale production.
So the impact will be worse thanwith the disease than with a
hopperbone.
However, in Texas, for the firsttime we saw the disease in 2024,
(18:33):
which increases more the concernabout because when you see the
disease in the field, there isnot a there is any there is
nothing that you can do tocontrol that anymore.
So that the main focus is tocontrol the insect.
So to be so that it doesn'tspread to the field.
And if that insect carries thevirus, perhaps impact won't be
(18:55):
uh you know detrimental.
Because this year in majority ofthe Texas rice blood, we have
seen symptoms of the disease.
Even in our center for the firsttime, all our um rice bloods
were showing the disease in theuh at the end of the main globe,
but also now in the ratoonglobe.
(19:16):
Clearly, you can see the diseasethere.
So I would say for thehopperborn, the is the numbers
of landhoppers that determinethe impact of the damage.
The more hopperbone that yousee, the sorry, the more uh
number of delfaces that you seein the field, higher chances
that you will have a hopperbonedamage.
SPEAKER_02 (19:39):
But I think as you've alluded to, the Reichs
Hoja Blanca is it's a biggerdeal as far as how much yield
loss you can see with this.
Do we have numbers?
Do we have quantifiable data onhow much a field can be affected
in terms of yield if it'sinfested with Oja Blanca?
SPEAKER_00 (19:57):
In terms of and based on uh data from South
America and Central America overthe years, it is estimated that
yield losses can be up to 30% ifthat is hopper-born.
But with the disease, it can beup to 100%.
Wow.
SPEAKER_02 (20:14):
And so because it's a virus, I mean, most of the
time, at least in in the West,our diseases are all fungal
diseases.
So we rely pretty exclusively onfungicides.
But with a virus, as you said,your main method of control is
going to be controlling thevector, the insect.
SPEAKER_00 (20:31):
The insect, that's correct.
Just to talk about the disease,you know, I'm not a plant
pathologist.
And because this insect uhcarries a virus, then uh, you
know, we need to uh the plantpathologist at the center, Dr.
Zoo, he's looking more into thedisease and the virus to
determine what otheralternatives we can uh control
(20:53):
in some point, uh, this uh howwe can control that uh virus.
Um so more work is underway todemonstrate that.
But he will be able to talk moreabout this disease if you would
like him to you know talk uhabout that later.
SPEAKER_02 (21:07):
We might need to do a rice till facet uh arc, yeah,
little section, yeah.
That would that'd be reallyinteresting.
Because I mean, it sounds likein order to really combat the
problem that this is, it's goingto really need to be an
integrative approach.
I mean, and so as far as that,you kind of mentioned this when
I heard a previous podcastepisode, but there's a task
(21:30):
force assembled consisting ofseveral scientists in the area
trying to remedy this problem.
Can you talk a bit about that?
SPEAKER_00 (21:38):
Yes.
So, because you know, this isnow a regional problem, uh, US
Rise is basically leading a taskforce for the Rice and Fassian,
where you know, we need to thinkmore of a multidisciplinary
approach now.
And that's why, you know, umscientists from different
states, crop consultants, uh,industry uh partners are
(21:59):
involved to investigate morewhat we can do to you know
reduce uh the impact of thispest.
So, yeah, and you know, as wewere creating this task force,
we were finding out that thepest was also present in
Arkansas, Louisiana,Mississippi.
So it was timely, you know, theaction that uh we took to do
(22:24):
this.
SPEAKER_02 (22:25):
And so you must be doing a lot of monitoring across
these states to try and estimatethe numbers of race sulfacid.
Uh, can you talk to us a bitabout how that monitoring works?
SPEAKER_00 (22:37):
Well, what we are doing is to initially when we
this when I got involved uh towork on this insect, it was
already when the damage thehopper worn was seeing in those
fields.
So to be able to track that, weneed to go back to the beginning
of the season.
So and that is some informationthat we are going to look in the
(23:00):
future.
Right now, we are just scoutingareas.
Farmers will call us, we will goto the field, assess if there is
really a plant hopper there, andthen determine based on just
different visits after that, howbad the populations will keep
going or are consistent over theseason.
Now, there are areas where theinsect is present, but not in
(23:20):
alarming numbers.
So in those areas, you know, thefarmer is then taking the
decision if they want to sprayor not.
But in the areas where we haveseen really high numbers, yeah,
the application of insecticidessometimes at that point is not
going to be helpful.
And uh, in terms of monitoringefforts, we are working now and
(23:42):
understand this, the biology,but also the dynamic of this
pest.
And for to do that, we need todo that from the beginning of
the season.
That's something that I don'tthink has been done before, and
we need to do that.
So, with the task force for nextyear, what we would like to do
is exactly that monitor thatrice season from the beginning.
(24:03):
That this insect doesn't show upfrom you know one day to the
other.
It builds, it builds up.
So by the time that you see itin high numbers, it's already
high kind of late.
So we need to keep monitoringthat from the beginning and see
really how things change overtime.
That's the only way how we willbe able to control and determine
(24:24):
also threshold levels for thispest.
SPEAKER_02 (24:26):
So, Lena, we've talked about what your team
does, what the scientists aredoing for monitoring.
But what about the people whoare boots on the ground?
The farmers and maybe even thecounty agents or crop advisors
that they work with, how arethey doing monitoring efforts?
SPEAKER_00 (24:42):
They are doing that by sweeping.
They are doing a sweep netsampling, and but the main focus
is because they deal with a youknow big acres of rice,
sometimes it's difficult.
So, but that and these insectsare so spotty that you might be
sweeping in an area where youdon't see them, but it doesn't
mean that they are not there.
(25:04):
So uh sweeping in random areasthroughout a whole field is very
important.
And as I was mentioned, the ricealpha are usually found in
patches initially.
So good coverage is veryimportant for monitoring.
So I know that this could betime consuming for them, but
(25:25):
unfortunately, we need to bevigilant for with this pest.
Then also inspecting leaf sheetsand panicles during the late
vegetative and early grain fieldstages is very important because
that's where we are seeing moreand the numbers of the reserve
facid increase or be present.
Also looking for clusters ofsmall white nymphs, because
(25:49):
those are the early installnymphs that you know are just
probably hatching from eggs, andyou will see them usually in
groups.
Then uh the adults usually liketo stay in both the upper and
lower part of the canopy of therace plant.
And I usually like to go with ahand lens to distinguish the
(26:11):
wing coloration to make surethat you know we are really
talking about the plant hopperbecause there is also leaf
hoppers as well.
Leaf hoppers are not a majorthreat, but it could be
confusing between leaf hoppersand plant hoppers.
So that's why you know hand lensto me is an easy way to identify
them as well in the field.
(26:32):
And I know that a hopper-bornesymptoms, which I described a
little bit earlier, are the youknow, a drying leaf material,
are the late signal already, youknow, if you see them in the
field, but uh it also helps usto find populations of the
fascist in those areas.
And most infestations are Apacheand localized, but they appear
(26:56):
to be increasing in frequencyand also in range as they as
they build up.
So also the time of the scoutingeffort is important.
You can do it perhaps at 1 p.m.,2 p.m.
You may not see much in thefield, but if you go early
morning and I'm talking aboutseven or you know, seven in the
(27:17):
morning, you will see it in in,you know, just staying there in
the field.
So that is also another, youknow, suggestion as well, like
uh setting up a specific time toand be consistent with the time
that you are monitoring those aswell.
I think that's what I wanted toadd about on that question.
SPEAKER_02 (27:37):
Absolutely.
I kind of wanted to ask you, andI'd like to caveat this by
saying that any mention of apesticide is not a
recommendation.
It's just mentioned for use ofresearch purposes, but I did
want to ask if there are anyinsecticide treatments available
that have been effective incontrolling rice still
fascinating.
SPEAKER_00 (27:58):
Well, the current ones that are officially, you
know, um to be used in the ricefields are indigo and CCX and
TENSU.
Those are neonicotinoids thatoverlap by the neonicotinoid
group, but it's indigo CCX hasalso a component which is a
peritroid.
(28:18):
So that it's you know from adifferent group now.
Paritroids have shown alreadysome kind of resistance to other
sacking insects, such as therice steamback.
So I'm always hesitant torecommend that.
But being those the onlyalternatives that we have, now
we are in a need to screen more,you know, other insecticides
(28:40):
that are labeled and not labeledin rice, but more important that
are applicable for sackinginsects and specifically for
plant hoppers.
So, and that's what my programis doing.
Right now we are screeningdifferent insecticides, and we
are seeing some potential tobecause what we need to do now
is to find other chemistriesthat can help us to rotate the
(29:03):
current ones that we have sothat we avoid insecticide
resistance.
And the idea is not to have onlyone option available, but more
than one so that we can have theweak that insecticide resistance
doesn't become a problem for us.
So, uh yes, we are screeningother chemistries currently.
SPEAKER_02 (29:23):
From the message or from what I think we've talked
about earlier in this episode,uh you mentioned that you have
been seeing this pest on somegrassy weeds, things like that.
And so I would assume maybecultural controls for this would
also be doing some reallyintensive weed management,
trying to mow levees and grassand road edges and trying to
(29:47):
reduce habitat.
Is that accurate?
SPEAKER_00 (29:50):
Yes, that is for sure something that we will be
uh, you know, um advocating aswell because as we are
monitoring rice fields, we Arenoticing also, you know, other
hosts.
Now, there are areas where youcan you have grasses but you
don't find them as well.
So, but the main point is duringthe winter season, where they go
(30:11):
where they go.
Do they migrate to other areasor they stay in in the rise in
closed areas?
But the question is where.
So, yeah, recommendation isperhaps you know not having
weedy or with material availableand keep your uh fallow fields
really maintain it, maintain itof those fields is going to be
(30:32):
very important as well.
SPEAKER_02 (30:33):
And so I kind of asked you about your current
research efforts, but would youcare to mention any other
research or outreach effortsthat you or your team or your
program are doing with the ricedelfacet?
SPEAKER_00 (30:45):
Yes, you know, one of the other things that my team
specifically is looking at is,for example, we are studying the
biology of the rice elfacetunder Texas conditions.
Because, as we know, insectsbehave differently depending on
the environment.
So my team has now establishedit, as I mentioned before, a
rice alpha colony, because youknow, I guess our center now has
(31:09):
the problem, so we are able todo this uh to rear this colony
now to be able to do more uhresearch, especially in
greenhouse under greenhousesettings.
So we are actively screeningTexas commercial rice varieties
and some other varieties, likewith in collaboration with the
uh task force, we are, forexample, uh assessing right now
(31:31):
South America varieties that hasa potential tolerance to the
rice and facet.
But we we don't know if thatwill be the same way for us.
So we are also collaboratingwith the breeders to evaluate
whether certain rice varietiesshow tolerance or resistance to
the pest or the virus with linesthat they are developing as
(31:55):
well.
We are also testing uhinsecticides and
neurochemistries, and especiallyinsect growth regulators that
seem to be promising becausethose insect regulators work
differently from a typicalinsecticide, and they show it
they may show more efficacy onthe rice sulfacet names, which
(32:17):
in my opinion are the moredifficult to control.
So the two carbon intextinsecticides do a decent job to
control the adults, but not muchof the nymph at the station.
And that's what we are targetingnow.
And from an outreachperspective, uh we are working
closely also with accountingagents and rice producers to
(32:38):
provide updates through pricefield days, and we are planning
also to develop workshops fornext year so that you know we
can that they can understandmore the impact of this pest.
Also, we are developingextension materials such as fact
sheets to talk about this pest,to understand the impact of this
(32:59):
and as well as the virus.
And the goal is to make uh surethat growers know what to look
for when you know uh they are inthe field and to have the tools
to respond effectively when thepet this pest becomes a problem
for the and in those areas.
And as you know, uh youmentioned it about the task
(33:20):
force, this is more a regionalproblem as well.
So uh the US RIS recentlyfacilitated the formation of
this riestal fascist task forceto coordinate strategies to
address this uh emergent uhpests.
And this task force isfacilitating as well research in
terms of insecticide screening,uh resistant efforts, and I mean
(33:44):
resistant breeding efforts, um,agronomic practices, as you
mentioned, like culturalcontrol, and you know, uh in
other appropriate areas.
I'm gonna also mention it thatmy research group is looking
into biological control as apotential uh way to control this
uh this pest as well in thefield.
So, yeah, um and you know, uhTexas AM AgriLife also has more
(34:08):
information about this pest.
Uh we will update this page withnew information as comes in.
SPEAKER_02 (34:16):
There's a lot of resources available then, and
we'll be sure to link to notonly the fact sheet, but also
the page that has a lot ofinformation about rice delfacet
in our show notes as well.
But you all are workingextremely hard, not only at
trying to mitigate this problem,but to get the information where
it needs to be in the hands ofthe growers and the crop
(34:37):
advisors, it seems like.
SPEAKER_00 (34:39):
Yes, and the other important factor is also that
the state understands theemergency of the situation.
So a lot of uh talking topolicymakers has to be in play
so as well.
And you know, um next week weare having a hearing in one of
(35:00):
our counting uh areas in Texaswhere we will discuss about
exactly why this impest isimportant for rice producers to
be able to control it, but tohave the uh funding and
resources to be able to do moreresearch.
And so that's going to beimportant and impactful as well.
SPEAKER_02 (35:18):
So incredibly so.
I mean, it seems as though theTexas rice industry has been hit
with a lot these last few years.
And to have a pest such as thisbecome so widespread, it's just
more and more hardship, I'd say,put on the producers, it seems
like.
SPEAKER_00 (35:36):
Yeah, and if you think about it, the rice price
uh is not really good as wellthis year.
So whatever they are gettingfrom the rice season this year,
um, I'm not sure if that isgoing to justify, you know, all
the spending that they are doingas well to try to use
insecticides and fertilizers forthis year.
So um, yeah, I I I understandalso the frustration that they
(36:00):
may have.
SPEAKER_02 (36:02):
Well, especially as you said, it affects the ratoon
crop disproportionately, whichand as I understand it, the
ratoon crop is usually a prettylow input crop.
You it's your second crop, youmow it down and then maybe apply
a fertilizer, maybe aninsecticide.
SPEAKER_00 (36:19):
Yep, yeah, yeah.
But that is the ratoon crop iswhere growers uh count to be
able to get the revenue uh forthem.
So that and usually they targetbetween 30 to 40 percent of you
know ratoon uh crop.
But if you have impact oninsects, then you would that
that proportion will be less andless.
SPEAKER_02 (36:40):
Um and then your your profit margin it just gets
slimmer and slimmer every everyspray you do.
SPEAKER_00 (36:47):
It's yeah, uh and you know it's to me it one of
the major things is uh creatingum awareness about the emergency
of the situation and to react uhas well and properly.
So in some point, uh you know,even though it was a problem
only in Texas so far, you know,that it was a point like where I
(37:10):
have to, you know, reach out toother people because and say,
hey, we are having an embowling.
We are very close to Louisiana.
I'm sure that you should be, youknow, that you should be looking
into that as well.
And it didn't pass more thanweeks, two weeks later when uh a
friend of mine told me, anentomologist as well, told me
that uh he's seen in his area.
So and that's when everythingstarted as well.
(37:33):
So this this year, the impacthas been tremendous.
SPEAKER_02 (37:38):
Well, Lena, thank you so much for giving us this
information.
Is there any events or anyresources you'd like to point
people to?
SPEAKER_00 (37:47):
Yes, as I was mentioning, the Texas Agri-Life
uh uh website, uh Texas ANNAgriLife website uh has more
information about this pest aswell, and not just about that
pest, but also about the diseaseand more extension efforts.
And those in that website willkeep updating as we, you know,
find more information as well.
(38:09):
So because right now we areprioritizing short-term
solutions, which under uh theentomology standpoint is uh
finding the next chemistriesthat we can use to control this
pest.
And you know, under the plantpathology standpoint is to
understand more the virus and tothe extension efforts is the
communication and also part ofthe monitoring efforts as well.
(38:30):
So when we should be lookinginto uh scouting, this and that
will be information that we willstress uh more or have it during
uh the winter season where iswhere we do our extension talks.
So yeah.
But this is also uhcollaboration from not only the
researchers but also fromaccounting agents and
(38:54):
stakeholders.
They play a big role as wellthere.
SPEAKER_02 (38:58):
Takes everybody working together, it's very
collaborative.
SPEAKER_00 (39:02):
Yeah, I when this type of situation happens, yeah,
you you you need to well withthat, Lena, I think I'm gonna
ask you our final question.
SPEAKER_02 (39:12):
It's the hardest question, and I know you've
already answered quite a fewhard questions, but let me ask
you, what is your favorite rice?
SPEAKER_00 (39:23):
Well, I I would say that my most popular dishes
include rice.
However, basmati rice has becomeone of my favorite uh since
moving here.
SPEAKER_02 (39:36):
Oh, are you a fan of the the Texas basmati or another
type of?
SPEAKER_00 (39:41):
Any basmati, yeah.
Yes.
What about you?
SPEAKER_02 (39:45):
It changes.
I'm really partial to this newaromatic medium grain that the
race experiment station'sreleasing.
I think they're calling itAM201, and we had it at our
field day recently, and I justcannot stop eating it.
Just all by itself tastes sogood.
It's very floral.
Teresa, Teresa DeLeon's done afantastic job.
(40:06):
Another LSU person.
SPEAKER_00 (40:08):
I know we weren't we weren't in kind of classmates
because she was in soil science,I was in entomology, but we kind
of took courses together.
SPEAKER_02 (40:17):
So with that, Alina, thank you so much for being here
today and sharing yourexpertise.
I am sure we'll call you backon.
So be prepared.
But we are just so grateful tohave you add to our information
and help us stay vigilant, keepour eyes out there, and one, be
aware of what you guys arefacing out there, but two, also
(40:38):
letting us know about potentialthreats to the rice industry as
a whole.
So thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (40:43):
Yes, and I hope you know you the next time that I
get here is not because you knowCalifornia is now dealing with
this pest.
But I will be happy uh to beback to talk about this or any
other pest.
Thank you for the invitation.
And again, uh it is a pleasureto have this type of
discussions.
And my hope is that uh morepeople will be able to reach out
(41:05):
to this information.
So please, if you have anyquestion about this pest, I will
be happy to uh answer as much asI can.
And you can reach out to me byemail or by my phone number,
which is 409-245-8632.
Again, 409-245-8632.
SPEAKER_02 (41:26):
Thank you, Lena.
And we'll add your email to ourshow notes just in case more
people want to reach out.
But yes, thank you so much, andI hope you have a great rest of
your day.
SPEAKER_00 (41:34):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (41:35):
Bye.
For more information, feel freeto check out our resources,
which include the UC Rice blogand the UC Agronomy Rice
(41:58):
website.
In terms of other resources youmight want to take advantage of,
you can also look at ournewsletters, which include Rice
Breeze, which covers Clusiola,Rice Notes, which covers
Upacetter, Rice Leaf, whichcovers Button Glen, and
FieldNotes, which covers rice inthe Delta region of California.
(42:21):
Thanks for listening to Thoughtson Rice, a University of
California Cooperative Extensionpodcast from the University of
California Agricultural andNatural Resources.
You can find out more about thispodcast on our website,
thoughtsonrice.budsprout.com.
We'd love to hear from you,whether it's from using our text
(42:42):
link in the show notes, a surveysubmission in our feedback form,
also in the show notes, or in acomment or rating on your
podcast streaming service ofchoice.
Harvest is well underway here.
Stay safe out there.
And remember, like the growerslike to say, have a race life.
(43:03):
Mention of an agrochemical doesnot constitute a recommendation,
merely the sharing of researchfindings.
Always follow the label.
The label is the law.
Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.
The views, thoughts, andopinions expressed are the
speaker's own, and do notrepresent the views, thoughts,
(43:25):
and opinions of the Universityof California.
The material and informationpresented here is for general
purposes only.
The University of Californianame and all forms and
abbreviations are the propertyof its owner, and its use does
not imply endorsement of oropposition to any specific
organization, product, orservice.
Hello and welcome to Thoughts on Rice, a podcast
hosted by the University ofCalifornia Cooperative Extension
Rights Advisor.
I'm one of your hosts, SarahMarch Yamich, and I'm a Rice
Farm Advisor for Calusa and YoloCounties.
SPEAKER_01 (00:26):
I'm Whitney Brooke Forest.
I'm the Cooperative ExtensionRights Advisor for Center, Cuba,
Plaster, and Sacramento County.
My name is Luis Despino.
I'm the Rice Farming SystemsAdvisor for Youth and Lynn
Counties.
I'm Michelle Leinfelder Miles.
I'm a farm advisor in the Deltaregion.
I work on all sorts of fieldcrops, grains and forages, but
(00:49):
one of those is rice.
And the counties that I coverare San Joaquin, Sacramento,
Yolo, Solano, and Contra Costacounties.
SPEAKER_02 (00:58):
Together, the UCCE Rice Farm Advisors need to
provide relevant topicalresearch-backed information
relating to California riceproduction.
For the first time on Thoughtson Rice, we are excited to
welcome our first guest to notwork in California Rice, Dr.
(01:19):
Lena Bernila, an entomologistwith Texas AM AgriLife Research
and Extension.
Dr.
Bernila is a key member of aresearch team that is seeking to
combat the rise of ricedelfacid, a newer pest that is
wreaking havoc across Texas andLouisiana as a vector of the
Hoya Blanca disease.
While we on the West Coast haveyet to see this pest in our
(01:40):
field, knock on wood, it'simportant to stay vigilant about
pests that have impact to therice industry as a whole.
And as Dr.
Bernilla will mention,especially about pests that can
disperse as easily as this onecan.
(02:26):
Well, we're really pleased tohave you on here.
Actually, you are our inauguralout-of-state guest.
So we are just absolutelythrilled that we have you here
to make the time to talk aboutthe rice tool facet because as I
know that probably most of ourlisteners are aware, that's a
pretty huge pest when it comesto the rice industry.
(02:47):
But before we get into that, I'dfirst like to ask you just a
little bit about youreducational background and how
you came to be in your currentrole.
SPEAKER_00 (02:57):
Sure.
I'm originally from Lima, Peru,and Lina from Lima, where potato
and rice are important staples.
And I always been fascinated howplants and insects interact.
So after I finish myundergraduate studies back home,
I received my master in agronomyand my master in agronomy and
(03:17):
PhD in entomology at LouisianaState University, focusing on
rice-insect interactions.
So currently I am an assistantprofessor in the rice
entomologists of Texas A ⁇ MAgri-Life Research and Bowman.
And my work focuses onunderstanding the biology,
ecology, and management ofinsect pests of rice in Texas,
(03:39):
as well as developingsustainable management
strategies that makes itpractical for rice farmers.
SPEAKER_02 (03:47):
And as I'm sure our listeners are aware, I mean, the
station in Beaumont is acritical hub of rice research,
not only for Texas, but acrossthe Mid-South.
So it's just on a personal note,that's where our very own Luis
Espino did a lot of his graduatework.
So it's it's nice how everybody,it's such a small world and
everything kind of tiestogether.
SPEAKER_00 (04:10):
Also, maybe not that is not important to this
podcast, but he's also panoing.
SPEAKER_02 (04:15):
Exactly, exactly.
And also an entomologist.
So um Lena, I think what we wantto focus on mostly today is
talking about the rice delfacid.
And so as I understand it, this,I guess, was recognized in Texas
approximately 2015.
But can you give us a bit ofbackground about how it was
(04:38):
discovered, who first saw it,and maybe what that looked like
at that end?
SPEAKER_00 (04:44):
Sure.
The rice delfacid is a plankhopper and is an invasive insect
pest of rice in the UnitedStates.
As you mentioned it back in2015, it was first recorded in
Texas.
And since then, it has beenspread throughout the Texas rice
belt.
Who first identified this insectwas a crop consultant called
(05:04):
Cliff Mock, because he wasscouting his rice fields and
discovered the spest.
At that point, he got in touchwith a former entomologist at
AM, Dr.
Moway, and both identified thatthe insect as the plant hoppers
that we have today.
Then to give you just a littlemore history about it, 2016 and
(05:26):
17 was in it wasn't really amajor issue in Texas.
2018 it showed up as well, notin high numbers, but to the
point that it was not aconsistent pest yet.
2019, 2020, 2021 wassporadically coming back in and
go.
(05:46):
So we thought that our winterswere having a huge impact in the
way how those populations werenot stable at that time.
2022, when I started on thisposition, I started to see this
pest more consistently.
2023, it wasn't in major, itwasn't a big problem in 2023.
2024, on the opposite side, andin 2025, we have seen that these
(06:09):
numbers are increasingexponentially to the point that
it's now an emergency situation.
SPEAKER_02 (06:17):
So those years that you mentioned, I mean, in 17 it
was Hurricane Harvey, and thenin 24 it was Hurricane Barrel,
if I'm remembering correctly.
Is there any indication that theweather events had some kind of
impact on the population?
SPEAKER_00 (06:34):
Yes, it is possible because we know that since this
is a native species, and thoseare also tiny insects.
Wind patterns or storms orhurricanes that we have play an
important role in transferringthose insects as well from one
area to another.
But yeah, so we have the commonuh these two common hurricanes
(06:55):
in 204, 2024, very, and in 2017,I believe it was Harvey that I'm
not aware in 2017 about majoroutbreaks of this pest because
at that point I'm assuming uhfarmers were more worried about
the flooding situation that washappening after the hurricane.
So, but uh 2018 is when uh wesaw more numbers in some
(07:17):
counting areas.
So initially in 2015, this pestwas uh just showing in a one
specific county in Galveston,and then after 2018, it has been
spreading in other uh ricecounties as well in Texas, until
mid-2045, where we are seeing itpretty much in all the Texas
rice world.
SPEAKER_02 (07:38):
I did want to ask if you could give us a description
of what this actually lookslike, what this insect looks
like, if there's any differencesbetween the sexes or any kind of
morphological characteristics.
SPEAKER_00 (07:51):
So, in terms of identification, the adult rice
alfaces are tiny and measureabout a quarter inch in length.
And both sexes, the females andmales, look slightly different.
Males, for example, are brownwith black wings in the tip of
the wings, and while the femalesare paler and often larger.
(08:15):
So both sexes bear a yellow towhite stripe along the back
between the wings.
And in addition, the femalesalso have shortened wings.
So the females with short wingshave a bulbous abdomen, and this
form emphasizes more areproduction success for the
(08:37):
females, laying more eggs thatcan cause also rapid population
expansion.
We have seen that in Texas aswell.
Then we have the nymphs, theseare the youngel facets, as I
like to call it, which passthrough five different stages of
growth before they become adult.
So they are smaller, wingless,they have two characteristic
(09:00):
brown abdominal stripes alongthe abdomen.
So when we talk about now thelife cycle, it lasts between
four to six weeks, and it'sdepending on the temperature,
which is key really to thesuccess of the number of days
for this plant hopper.
First, we have the eggs.
(09:21):
These eggs are inserted into therice leaf sheets or the midway
so that people can remember moreexactly where in the leaf.
And when those eggs hatch withinabout five to eight days, those
eggs are so tiny and are hard tosee without magnification.
And also you will need todissect the leaf to be able to
(09:43):
see those eggs.
But when those eggs hatch,usually the first instant means
are you know so small andwingless, and you will need a
magnifying, I guess, zoom sothat you can see really those in
the field.
Otherwise, what you will be ableto see in the field are the uh
(10:04):
second to third instance becausethose will start to show the
characteristics to brownabdominal stripes.
But after hatching or throughthe whole five instant stages,
it can take about 15 to 20 days,and they gradually increase in
size as well as in thepigmentation, resembling a pale,
(10:28):
some kind of a pale coloration,and but also when you get to see
the fifth instar, those are kindof like a smaller version of the
adults, but without the wings.
And the other thing is since wehave five different instars in
those names, the first andsecond instars usually stay in
(10:49):
the same place because they arenot yet capable to move so much
or flight.
But the third, four, and fiveinstant, they move more to find,
you know, to keep feeding on theplant.
So that those are the onesusually that we will be able to
see in the field.
Technically, when we have thenymph and the stage in the rice
growing season, those nymphthose nymphs usually will stay
(11:13):
in the lower part of the canopyof the rice plant, while the
late installs and the adultsstay in the upper part of the
canopy.
And that's when we will start tosee in the field as well.
Now the nymph stage is the mostdamaging stage in regards to
rice production, because theonly thing that they do is just
(11:34):
feed on the plant.
Adults will fly and go to otherplaces to conquer other places,
right?
So then the females' short wingsthey stay in the field because
they are not capable to fly somuch, while the adults' long
wings are the ones that migrateto new fields.
SPEAKER_02 (11:53):
Do they have any idea of where this pest is
native to or where it could havepossibly come from?
Yes.
SPEAKER_00 (12:00):
Yes, it is and based on a original study that Dr.
Mogwey and a former PhD studentthat wish we both share, they
did a study using a specificmolecular marker that was
identified to recognize part ofthe the delfacid genome.
And those were 99% identical forthe species that were found in
(12:25):
South America as well as SouthAmerica mainly.
So Moway and uh JacquelineMartin uh they uh collected
insects from those countingareas in Texas and compared
those with the insects andnative from South America and
demonstrated that there was a 99compatibility on the uh genome
(12:46):
of this uh both insects thatmakes us believe that hurricanes
were part of that way how thosemigrated here.
SPEAKER_02 (12:53):
And then as far as hosts for this insect, is it
just rice that they like to feedon, or are there other crops or
plants that they like to infest?
SPEAKER_00 (13:04):
Based on my scouting and monitoring efforts, what I'm
noticing is that this planthopper also uh likes other
grasses, but the main focus isrice.
However, during theoverwintering season, we are
thinking that perhaps thosemight heighten those grasses
areas.
So we are now going to have amore diligent work in
(13:26):
controlling during the otherwinter season where these areas
or the follow areas where therice is not growing anymore
during the season to be able tosee if there are some patterns
or finding the adults in thoseareas.
Also, I have a colony of therice alpha in a Texas AM in
Bowman.
(13:46):
And I'm noticing that, you know,as we grow rice, some wheats
also show up there.
And we notice that also thedelfacet like to feed on those
as well.
So we are in the future, in thenear future, looking into
alternate hosts as well todemonstrate uh how efficient or
more attractive are those uhthese insects to any uh
alternate uh crop.
(14:07):
You know, I would like toemphasize that this insect and
really poses a serious threat uhto the Texas and to the rice
production in general because ofits uh feeding habits and its
role as a vector of a plantdisease.
Uh okay, something also that uhI forgot to mention is that
females can lay eggs in between100 to 150 eggs.
(14:28):
So that's a lot of eggs.
Quite a bit.
Yes.
So then when those eggs hatch,you will have really, you know,
high number of means.
And those babies will just feedon the plant, stay there.
How many generations are theretypically?
That is that is a good question.
So what it depends on thetemperature, because
(14:49):
temperature, environmentalconditions also are play an
important role in terms of uhthe life cycle of this pest.
It can be between a three andsometimes, perhaps depending.
For example, in Texas, we haveone season of rice, but we have
two harvest.
You know, we have the main cropand the ratoon crop.
(15:09):
Because of that, we kind of givemore to the insect opportunity
to stay in the field and feedand keep feeding on the plant,
especially in the ratoon crop,where it's where it's more of an
impact or the damage has beenshowing in the text of rice
world.
How many generations we canhave?
I would say it depends, it willdepend.
(15:30):
But in my experience, based onour rice alpha city colony, we
are seeing that the life cyclecan last between 20 to 25 days.
Now, if you extrapolate that tothe field, when they started to
show up, it can be between twoor three generations in in areas
where you know temperature isreally, I guess, um favorable
(15:51):
for them.
SPEAKER_02 (15:52):
Wow, yeah.
And then as the nymphs movethrough the instars, as they get
larger, does the amount ofdamage they create, is that
proportional to them gettinglarger as well, or does it stay
pretty consistent?
SPEAKER_00 (16:04):
Not to the size, to the numbers that you see in the
field.
The more nymphs that you see inthe field, you will see the
damage, which based on thefeeding, that type of damage is
more mechanical damage, which iscalled a hopperburn.
So when, and that happensusually in areas where high
numbers of delfaces are, youknow, in that area that they are
(16:25):
just feeding on the plant.
And I don't know if you haveseen the big and patches of dead
material that you know is uh dueto this type of damage.
So what it happens is becausethis is a sucking insect, uh it
extracts all the nutrients fromthe phloem or the inside the
plant.
So it basically by the plant bynot having nutrients, what it
(16:49):
will eventually is just die.
So it will start with orange uhcolorations in the plant, or
especially in the stem or in theleaf, and then become you know a
brown coloration, which I willcall it more necrotic, or just
the plant will die.
And it dries basically, andthose basically are in the
(17:09):
patches or the hopperbone thatyou can see in the field.
So, however, even though if yousee hopperbone in the field,
it's already a sign that youhave a high infestation level.
This insect also carries a virusthat transmits a disease that is
called Oja Blanca disease.
(17:29):
It's an hoja blanca disease thatit can be detrimental for rice
production, especially in thetime of the appearance of the
disease.
So in uh the native countries,usually they see the disease in
the vegetative growth, that itcan sometimes last to the
reproductive stage or that whenthe plants are already maturing.
(17:50):
But the symptoms are clearlywhen you see the green color of
the plants, basically in thevegetative growth or early
booting or early maturity.
So the white, the hoja blancadisease in in English is the
white leaves, which is thecharacteristic white stripe, you
know, coloration that you cansee in the leaves, that that is
one type of uh you know symptom.
(18:11):
It can also produce stuntedgrowth, formation of panicle as
well.
So it can be really significantfor a yale production.
So the impact will be worse thanwith the disease than with a
hopperbone.
However, in Texas, for the firsttime we saw the disease in 2024,
(18:33):
which increases more the concernabout because when you see the
disease in the field, there isnot a there is any there is
nothing that you can do tocontrol that anymore.
So that the main focus is tocontrol the insect.
So to be so that it doesn'tspread to the field.
And if that insect carries thevirus, perhaps impact won't be
(18:55):
uh you know detrimental.
Because this year in majority ofthe Texas rice blood, we have
seen symptoms of the disease.
Even in our center for the firsttime, all our um rice bloods
were showing the disease in theuh at the end of the main globe,
but also now in the ratoonglobe.
(19:16):
Clearly, you can see the diseasethere.
So I would say for thehopperborn, the is the numbers
of landhoppers that determinethe impact of the damage.
The more hopperbone that yousee, the sorry, the more uh
number of delfaces that you seein the field, higher chances
that you will have a hopperbonedamage.
SPEAKER_02 (19:39):
But I think as you've alluded to, the Reichs
Hoja Blanca is it's a biggerdeal as far as how much yield
loss you can see with this.
Do we have numbers?
Do we have quantifiable data onhow much a field can be affected
in terms of yield if it'sinfested with Oja Blanca?
SPEAKER_00 (19:57):
In terms of and based on uh data from South
America and Central America overthe years, it is estimated that
yield losses can be up to 30% ifthat is hopper-born.
But with the disease, it can beup to 100%.
Wow.
SPEAKER_02 (20:14):
And so because it's a virus, I mean, most of the
time, at least in in the West,our diseases are all fungal
diseases.
So we rely pretty exclusively onfungicides.
But with a virus, as you said,your main method of control is
going to be controlling thevector, the insect.
SPEAKER_00 (20:31):
The insect, that's correct.
Just to talk about the disease,you know, I'm not a plant
pathologist.
And because this insect uhcarries a virus, then uh, you
know, we need to uh the plantpathologist at the center, Dr.
Zoo, he's looking more into thedisease and the virus to
determine what otheralternatives we can uh control
(20:53):
in some point, uh, this uh howwe can control that uh virus.
Um so more work is underway todemonstrate that.
But he will be able to talk moreabout this disease if you would
like him to you know talk uhabout that later.
SPEAKER_02 (21:07):
We might need to do a rice till facet uh arc, yeah,
little section, yeah.
That would that'd be reallyinteresting.
Because I mean, it sounds likein order to really combat the
problem that this is, it's goingto really need to be an
integrative approach.
I mean, and so as far as that,you kind of mentioned this when
I heard a previous podcastepisode, but there's a task
(21:30):
force assembled consisting ofseveral scientists in the area
trying to remedy this problem.
Can you talk a bit about that?
SPEAKER_00 (21:38):
Yes.
So, because you know, this isnow a regional problem, uh, US
Rise is basically leading a taskforce for the Rice and Fassian,
where you know, we need to thinkmore of a multidisciplinary
approach now.
And that's why, you know, umscientists from different
states, crop consultants, uh,industry uh partners are
(21:59):
involved to investigate morewhat we can do to you know
reduce uh the impact of thispest.
So, yeah, and you know, as wewere creating this task force,
we were finding out that thepest was also present in
Arkansas, Louisiana,Mississippi.
So it was timely, you know, theaction that uh we took to do
(22:24):
this.
SPEAKER_02 (22:25):
And so you must be doing a lot of monitoring across
these states to try and estimatethe numbers of race sulfacid.
Uh, can you talk to us a bitabout how that monitoring works?
SPEAKER_00 (22:37):
Well, what we are doing is to initially when we
this when I got involved uh towork on this insect, it was
already when the damage thehopper worn was seeing in those
fields.
So to be able to track that, weneed to go back to the beginning
of the season.
So and that is some informationthat we are going to look in the
(23:00):
future.
Right now, we are just scoutingareas.
Farmers will call us, we will goto the field, assess if there is
really a plant hopper there, andthen determine based on just
different visits after that, howbad the populations will keep
going or are consistent over theseason.
Now, there are areas where theinsect is present, but not in
(23:20):
alarming numbers.
So in those areas, you know, thefarmer is then taking the
decision if they want to sprayor not.
But in the areas where we haveseen really high numbers, yeah,
the application of insecticidessometimes at that point is not
going to be helpful.
And uh, in terms of monitoringefforts, we are working now and
(23:42):
understand this, the biology,but also the dynamic of this
pest.
And for to do that, we need todo that from the beginning of
the season.
That's something that I don'tthink has been done before, and
we need to do that.
So, with the task force for nextyear, what we would like to do
is exactly that monitor thatrice season from the beginning.
(24:03):
That this insect doesn't show upfrom you know one day to the
other.
It builds, it builds up.
So by the time that you see itin high numbers, it's already
high kind of late.
So we need to keep monitoringthat from the beginning and see
really how things change overtime.
That's the only way how we willbe able to control and determine
(24:24):
also threshold levels for thispest.
SPEAKER_02 (24:26):
So, Lena, we've talked about what your team
does, what the scientists aredoing for monitoring.
But what about the people whoare boots on the ground?
The farmers and maybe even thecounty agents or crop advisors
that they work with, how arethey doing monitoring efforts?
SPEAKER_00 (24:42):
They are doing that by sweeping.
They are doing a sweep netsampling, and but the main focus
is because they deal with a youknow big acres of rice,
sometimes it's difficult.
So, but that and these insectsare so spotty that you might be
sweeping in an area where youdon't see them, but it doesn't
mean that they are not there.
(25:04):
So uh sweeping in random areasthroughout a whole field is very
important.
And as I was mentioned, the ricealpha are usually found in
patches initially.
So good coverage is veryimportant for monitoring.
So I know that this could betime consuming for them, but
(25:25):
unfortunately, we need to bevigilant for with this pest.
Then also inspecting leaf sheetsand panicles during the late
vegetative and early grain fieldstages is very important because
that's where we are seeing moreand the numbers of the reserve
facid increase or be present.
Also looking for clusters ofsmall white nymphs, because
(25:49):
those are the early installnymphs that you know are just
probably hatching from eggs, andyou will see them usually in
groups.
Then uh the adults usually liketo stay in both the upper and
lower part of the canopy of therace plant.
And I usually like to go with ahand lens to distinguish the
(26:11):
wing coloration to make surethat you know we are really
talking about the plant hopperbecause there is also leaf
hoppers as well.
Leaf hoppers are not a majorthreat, but it could be
confusing between leaf hoppersand plant hoppers.
So that's why you know hand lensto me is an easy way to identify
them as well in the field.
(26:32):
And I know that a hopper-bornesymptoms, which I described a
little bit earlier, are the youknow, a drying leaf material,
are the late signal already, youknow, if you see them in the
field, but uh it also helps usto find populations of the
fascist in those areas.
And most infestations are Apacheand localized, but they appear
(26:56):
to be increasing in frequencyand also in range as they as
they build up.
So also the time of the scoutingeffort is important.
You can do it perhaps at 1 p.m.,2 p.m.
You may not see much in thefield, but if you go early
morning and I'm talking aboutseven or you know, seven in the
(27:17):
morning, you will see it in in,you know, just staying there in
the field.
So that is also another, youknow, suggestion as well, like
uh setting up a specific time toand be consistent with the time
that you are monitoring those aswell.
I think that's what I wanted toadd about on that question.
SPEAKER_02 (27:37):
Absolutely.
I kind of wanted to ask you, andI'd like to caveat this by
saying that any mention of apesticide is not a
recommendation.
It's just mentioned for use ofresearch purposes, but I did
want to ask if there are anyinsecticide treatments available
that have been effective incontrolling rice still
fascinating.
SPEAKER_00 (27:58):
Well, the current ones that are officially, you
know, um to be used in the ricefields are indigo and CCX and
TENSU.
Those are neonicotinoids thatoverlap by the neonicotinoid
group, but it's indigo CCX hasalso a component which is a
peritroid.
(28:18):
So that it's you know from adifferent group now.
Paritroids have shown alreadysome kind of resistance to other
sacking insects, such as therice steamback.
So I'm always hesitant torecommend that.
But being those the onlyalternatives that we have, now
we are in a need to screen more,you know, other insecticides
(28:40):
that are labeled and not labeledin rice, but more important that
are applicable for sackinginsects and specifically for
plant hoppers.
So, and that's what my programis doing.
Right now we are screeningdifferent insecticides, and we
are seeing some potential tobecause what we need to do now
is to find other chemistriesthat can help us to rotate the
(29:03):
current ones that we have sothat we avoid insecticide
resistance.
And the idea is not to have onlyone option available, but more
than one so that we can have theweak that insecticide resistance
doesn't become a problem for us.
So, uh yes, we are screeningother chemistries currently.
SPEAKER_02 (29:23):
From the message or from what I think we've talked
about earlier in this episode,uh you mentioned that you have
been seeing this pest on somegrassy weeds, things like that.
And so I would assume maybecultural controls for this would
also be doing some reallyintensive weed management,
trying to mow levees and grassand road edges and trying to
(29:47):
reduce habitat.
Is that accurate?
SPEAKER_00 (29:50):
Yes, that is for sure something that we will be
uh, you know, um advocating aswell because as we are
monitoring rice fields, we Arenoticing also, you know, other
hosts.
Now, there are areas where youcan you have grasses but you
don't find them as well.
So, but the main point is duringthe winter season, where they go
(30:11):
where they go.
Do they migrate to other areasor they stay in in the rise in
closed areas?
But the question is where.
So, yeah, recommendation isperhaps you know not having
weedy or with material availableand keep your uh fallow fields
really maintain it, maintain itof those fields is going to be
(30:32):
very important as well.
SPEAKER_02 (30:33):
And so I kind of asked you about your current
research efforts, but would youcare to mention any other
research or outreach effortsthat you or your team or your
program are doing with the ricedelfacet?
SPEAKER_00 (30:45):
Yes, you know, one of the other things that my team
specifically is looking at is,for example, we are studying the
biology of the rice elfacetunder Texas conditions.
Because, as we know, insectsbehave differently depending on
the environment.
So my team has now establishedit, as I mentioned before, a
rice alpha colony, because youknow, I guess our center now has
(31:09):
the problem, so we are able todo this uh to rear this colony
now to be able to do more uhresearch, especially in
greenhouse under greenhousesettings.
So we are actively screeningTexas commercial rice varieties
and some other varieties, likewith in collaboration with the
uh task force, we are, forexample, uh assessing right now
(31:31):
South America varieties that hasa potential tolerance to the
rice and facet.
But we we don't know if thatwill be the same way for us.
So we are also collaboratingwith the breeders to evaluate
whether certain rice varietiesshow tolerance or resistance to
the pest or the virus with linesthat they are developing as
(31:55):
well.
We are also testing uhinsecticides and
neurochemistries, and especiallyinsect growth regulators that
seem to be promising becausethose insect regulators work
differently from a typicalinsecticide, and they show it
they may show more efficacy onthe rice sulfacet names, which
(32:17):
in my opinion are the moredifficult to control.
So the two carbon intextinsecticides do a decent job to
control the adults, but not muchof the nymph at the station.
And that's what we are targetingnow.
And from an outreachperspective, uh we are working
closely also with accountingagents and rice producers to
(32:38):
provide updates through pricefield days, and we are planning
also to develop workshops fornext year so that you know we
can that they can understandmore the impact of this pest.
Also, we are developingextension materials such as fact
sheets to talk about this pest,to understand the impact of this
(32:59):
and as well as the virus.
And the goal is to make uh surethat growers know what to look
for when you know uh they are inthe field and to have the tools
to respond effectively when thepet this pest becomes a problem
for the and in those areas.
And as you know, uh youmentioned it about the task
(33:20):
force, this is more a regionalproblem as well.
So uh the US RIS recentlyfacilitated the formation of
this riestal fascist task forceto coordinate strategies to
address this uh emergent uhpests.
And this task force isfacilitating as well research in
terms of insecticide screening,uh resistant efforts, and I mean
(33:44):
resistant breeding efforts, um,agronomic practices, as you
mentioned, like culturalcontrol, and you know, uh in
other appropriate areas.
I'm gonna also mention it thatmy research group is looking
into biological control as apotential uh way to control this
uh this pest as well in thefield.
So, yeah, um and you know, uhTexas AM AgriLife also has more
(34:08):
information about this pest.
Uh we will update this page withnew information as comes in.
SPEAKER_02 (34:16):
There's a lot of resources available then, and
we'll be sure to link to notonly the fact sheet, but also
the page that has a lot ofinformation about rice delfacet
in our show notes as well.
But you all are workingextremely hard, not only at
trying to mitigate this problem,but to get the information where
it needs to be in the hands ofthe growers and the crop
(34:37):
advisors, it seems like.
SPEAKER_00 (34:39):
Yes, and the other important factor is also that
the state understands theemergency of the situation.
So a lot of uh talking topolicymakers has to be in play
so as well.
And you know, um next week weare having a hearing in one of
(35:00):
our counting uh areas in Texaswhere we will discuss about
exactly why this impest isimportant for rice producers to
be able to control it, but tohave the uh funding and
resources to be able to do moreresearch.
And so that's going to beimportant and impactful as well.
SPEAKER_02 (35:18):
So incredibly so.
I mean, it seems as though theTexas rice industry has been hit
with a lot these last few years.
And to have a pest such as thisbecome so widespread, it's just
more and more hardship, I'd say,put on the producers, it seems
like.
SPEAKER_00 (35:36):
Yeah, and if you think about it, the rice price
uh is not really good as wellthis year.
So whatever they are gettingfrom the rice season this year,
um, I'm not sure if that isgoing to justify, you know, all
the spending that they are doingas well to try to use
insecticides and fertilizers forthis year.
So um, yeah, I I I understandalso the frustration that they
(36:00):
may have.
SPEAKER_02 (36:02):
Well, especially as you said, it affects the ratoon
crop disproportionately, whichand as I understand it, the
ratoon crop is usually a prettylow input crop.
You it's your second crop, youmow it down and then maybe apply
a fertilizer, maybe aninsecticide.
SPEAKER_00 (36:19):
Yep, yeah, yeah.
But that is the ratoon crop iswhere growers uh count to be
able to get the revenue uh forthem.
So that and usually they targetbetween 30 to 40 percent of you
know ratoon uh crop.
But if you have impact oninsects, then you would that
that proportion will be less andless.
SPEAKER_02 (36:40):
Um and then your your profit margin it just gets
slimmer and slimmer every everyspray you do.
SPEAKER_00 (36:47):
It's yeah, uh and you know it's to me it one of
the major things is uh creatingum awareness about the emergency
of the situation and to react uhas well and properly.
So in some point, uh you know,even though it was a problem
only in Texas so far, you know,that it was a point like where I
(37:10):
have to, you know, reach out toother people because and say,
hey, we are having an embowling.
We are very close to Louisiana.
I'm sure that you should be, youknow, that you should be looking
into that as well.
And it didn't pass more thanweeks, two weeks later when uh a
friend of mine told me, anentomologist as well, told me
that uh he's seen in his area.
So and that's when everythingstarted as well.
(37:33):
So this this year, the impacthas been tremendous.
SPEAKER_02 (37:38):
Well, Lena, thank you so much for giving us this
information.
Is there any events or anyresources you'd like to point
people to?
SPEAKER_00 (37:47):
Yes, as I was mentioning, the Texas Agri-Life
uh uh website, uh Texas ANNAgriLife website uh has more
information about this pest aswell, and not just about that
pest, but also about the diseaseand more extension efforts.
And those in that website willkeep updating as we, you know,
find more information as well.
(38:09):
So because right now we areprioritizing short-term
solutions, which under uh theentomology standpoint is uh
finding the next chemistriesthat we can use to control this
pest.
And you know, under the plantpathology standpoint is to
understand more the virus and tothe extension efforts is the
communication and also part ofthe monitoring efforts as well.
(38:30):
So when we should be lookinginto uh scouting, this and that
will be information that we willstress uh more or have it during
uh the winter season where iswhere we do our extension talks.
So yeah.
But this is also uhcollaboration from not only the
researchers but also fromaccounting agents and
(38:54):
stakeholders.
They play a big role as wellthere.
SPEAKER_02 (38:58):
Takes everybody working together, it's very
collaborative.
SPEAKER_00 (39:02):
Yeah, I when this type of situation happens, yeah,
you you you need to well withthat, Lena, I think I'm gonna
ask you our final question.
SPEAKER_02 (39:12):
It's the hardest question, and I know you've
already answered quite a fewhard questions, but let me ask
you, what is your favorite rice?
SPEAKER_00 (39:23):
Well, I I would say that my most popular dishes
include rice.
However, basmati rice has becomeone of my favorite uh since
moving here.
SPEAKER_02 (39:36):
Oh, are you a fan of the the Texas basmati or another
type of?
SPEAKER_00 (39:41):
Any basmati, yeah.
Yes.
What about you?
SPEAKER_02 (39:45):
It changes.
I'm really partial to this newaromatic medium grain that the
race experiment station'sreleasing.
I think they're calling itAM201, and we had it at our
field day recently, and I justcannot stop eating it.
Just all by itself tastes sogood.
It's very floral.
Teresa, Teresa DeLeon's done afantastic job.
(40:06):
Another LSU person.
SPEAKER_00 (40:08):
I know we weren't we weren't in kind of classmates
because she was in soil science,I was in entomology, but we kind
of took courses together.
SPEAKER_02 (40:17):
So with that, Alina, thank you so much for being here
today and sharing yourexpertise.
I am sure we'll call you backon.
So be prepared.
But we are just so grateful tohave you add to our information
and help us stay vigilant, keepour eyes out there, and one, be
aware of what you guys arefacing out there, but two, also
(40:38):
letting us know about potentialthreats to the rice industry as
a whole.
So thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (40:43):
Yes, and I hope you know you the next time that I
get here is not because you knowCalifornia is now dealing with
this pest.
But I will be happy uh to beback to talk about this or any
other pest.
Thank you for the invitation.
And again, uh it is a pleasureto have this type of
discussions.
And my hope is that uh morepeople will be able to reach out
(41:05):
to this information.
So please, if you have anyquestion about this pest, I will
be happy to uh answer as much asI can.
And you can reach out to me byemail or by my phone number,
which is 409-245-8632.
Again, 409-245-8632.
SPEAKER_02 (41:26):
Thank you, Lena.
And we'll add your email to ourshow notes just in case more
people want to reach out.
But yes, thank you so much, andI hope you have a great rest of
your day.
SPEAKER_00 (41:34):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_02 (41:35):
Bye.
For more information, feel freeto check out our resources,
which include the UC Rice blogand the UC Agronomy Rice
(41:58):
website.
In terms of other resources youmight want to take advantage of,
you can also look at ournewsletters, which include Rice
Breeze, which covers Clusiola,Rice Notes, which covers
Upacetter, Rice Leaf, whichcovers Button Glen, and
FieldNotes, which covers rice inthe Delta region of California.
(42:21):
Thanks for listening to Thoughtson Rice, a University of
California Cooperative Extensionpodcast from the University of
California Agricultural andNatural Resources.
You can find out more about thispodcast on our website,
thoughtsonrice.budsprout.com.
We'd love to hear from you,whether it's from using our text
(42:42):
link in the show notes, a surveysubmission in our feedback form,
also in the show notes, or in acomment or rating on your
podcast streaming service ofchoice.
Harvest is well underway here.
Stay safe out there.
And remember, like the growerslike to say, have a race life.
(43:03):
Mention of an agrochemical doesnot constitute a recommendation,
merely the sharing of researchfindings.
Always follow the label.
The label is the law.
Find out more at ipm.ucanr.edu.
The views, thoughts, andopinions expressed are the
speaker's own, and do notrepresent the views, thoughts,
(43:25):
and opinions of the Universityof California.
The material and informationpresented here is for general
purposes only.
The University of Californianame and all forms and
abbreviations are the propertyof its owner, and its use does
not imply endorsement of oropposition to any specific
organization, product, orservice.
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