Pests There
are six major pests affecting rice production. Some of the pests
damaging Australian crops are earthworms (Eukerria saltensis),
which were introduced. Bloodworms, tadpole shrimp and water snails
are all native Australian invertebrates, which also cause damage
to rice crops. The
rice stinkbug (Eysarcoris trimaculatus) was once a Northern Queensland
pest but has now moved to New South Wales. |
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Diseases Fungi cause many rice related diseases. The most
serious diseases are seedling blight, leaf smut, stem rot, kernel
spots, leaf spot and straight head. |
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| Seedling blight is an infection of the seedling, which is caused by four fungi. A fungus also causes leaf smut. This disease mainly attacks the rice crops of the United States. Stem rot is a disease that causes breakage to the stem. Two fungi cause it. Bad preparation of seeds, failure of seed development and unhealthy plants are the main reasons for straight head. Blast is a form of leaf spot caused by fungus; it is one the most serious rice diseases. Several funguses cause the spotting of rice kernels | |