Major Natural Enemies of Major Rice Insect Pests

What are the major natural enemies?

The species diversity and total number of natural enemies in tropical rice are impressive, but usually a few species dominate the complex. It is difficult to generalize about the precise role and relative importance of individual species.

Here three important groups of insect pests are selected to illustrate the roles that natural enemies can play in the biological control of rice insect pests. The insect pests groups are:

• Stem borers
• Leaffolders
• Leafhoppers and planthoppers