Field Screening of Rice Genotypes against Asian Rice Gall Midge, Orseolia oryzae (Wood-Mason)

Abstract

The Asian rice gall midge [Orseolia oryzae (Wood-Mason)] is a major endemic pest in the Warangal region of Telangana, India, causing significant yield losses in rice. The present study was conducted during Kharif 2017 at the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Warangal, Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University, Telangana to evaluate 53 rice genotypes along with five checks in an augmented design for resistance against gall midge under delayed planting conditions to ensure adequate pest pressure. The entries were assessed based on per cent plant damage and per cent silver shoot incidence. The susceptible check TN-1 recorded high infestation levels, with 91.9 per cent plant damage and 11.7 per cent silver shoots, confirming sufficient pest pressure. Among the resistant checks, Aganni and Abhaya exhibited moderate resistance, while RP 2068-18-3-5 and Kavya showed moderate susceptibility based on silver shoot damage; however, all checks recorded high plant damage (30.0–90.0%), indicating the virulent nature of the local gall midge population. None of the test genotypes exhibited resistance based on plant damage and silver shoot criteria. However, 20 genotypes were identified as moderately susceptible among which IET 24741, JGL 28921, RDR 1160, SKL 07-11-177-50-84-12-188, WGL 1161 exhibited relatively lower levels of plant damage and silver shoot damage under high gall midge pressure. The absence of resistant genotypes under high pest pressure highlights the need for continuous screening and incorporation of diverse resistance genes to develop durable gall midge-resistant rice varieties suitable for endemic regions like Warangal.