Green Leafhopper (Nephotettix spp.) in Rice Ecosystems: Biology, Ecology and Integrated Pest Management Strategies

Abstract

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a major staple food for more than half of the global population, with Asian countries contributing the largest share of production and consumption. Sap-feeding hemipterans are among the many arthropod pests that have increased to a problematic level due to feeding injury and their role in transmitting viral diseases in rice. The Green leafhopper (Nephotettix spp.) is one of the most economically harmful insect pests affecting rice in tropical and subtropical areas. Besides undermining plants by continuously sucking phloem sap, Nephotettix species are very effective vectors of rice tungro disease, a viral complex that causes devastating yield losses and periodic epidemics. The past decades have been characterized by a sharp rise in the frequency and severity of Green leafhopper occurrences, driven by increased rice cultivation, overuse of nitrogen fertilizers, erosion of agroecosystem biodiversity, indiscriminate use of insecticides, and ongoing climate change. This review is a study dedicated to biology, distribution, host relationships, damage processes, ecological relationships, and control of the green leafhopper in rice ecosystems. Specific focus is placed on pest population ecology, responses to climate mediation, insecticide and host plant resistance, and biological control through conservation. There is a critical analysis of the integrated pest management (IPM) strategies that focus on ecological engineering, the use of resistant cultivars, balanced nutrition, and selective chemical intervention. New uses of digital agriculture and predictive pest management are also considered as elements of future climate-resilient rice IPM. It is hoped that, by drawing on existing scientific knowledge, this review can either facilitate the adoption of sustainable pest management practices or provide information to support research and policy interventions aimed at the long-term stability of rice production systems.