Biology of the African rice gall midge Orseolia oryzivora (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) and its incidence on wet-season rice in Nigeria

Abstract

The biology of the African rice gall midge Orseolia oryzivora Harris and Gagne was investigated in screenhouse and laboratory studies, and its incidence on cultivated wet-season rice was studied in farmers’ fields during the 2006 and 2007 rice-growing seasons at two localities in Nigeria. This insect is nocturnal, and mating takes place immediately after emergence. Both mated and unmated females lay eggs, with mated females laying on average 389 eggs each, and unmated females laying about 87 sterile eggs. The egg stage takes on average 2.5 days. Larval development takes 3.6, 3.3 and 3.0 days for the first, second and third instars, respectively, while the pre-pupal and pupal stages take 2.8 and 6.1 days, respectively. Adult females live for 48–78 h, while males live for 24–30 h. The life cycle of O. oryzivora is completed within 21–24 days under screenhouse conditions. The adult male is slender and about 3 mm long, while the female is more rounded with a 4 mm long body and a bright red abdomen. The insect produces unisexual progeny. Field incidence is low at the beginning of the rainy season, peaking with the peak in rainfall and humidity that concurs with the vegetative stage of the crop. The population of the midge declines as temperatures rise. In conclusion, prediction models may be developed based on weather parameters, to aid in forecasting the field incidence of O. oryzivora and its management strategies. Furthermore, it maybe possible to reduce the damage caused by O. oryzivora to rice crops by altering planting period and taking into account environmental factors.