Lesson 2: Corn Plant Hopper

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Lesson 2 Corn Plant Hopper
The female hoppers are yellowish brown and the
male dark brown. Females are nearly one-and-a
half times larger than the males.
Female Plant Hopper
The nymphs and adults live in groups on the
leaves, within leaf whorls, and on the inner side
of leaf sheaths.
Nymphs and adults of Plant Hopper
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Lesson 2 Corn Plant Hopper
The female makes a slit on the upper surface of
the leaf midrib and inserts the eggs in groups of
one to four and covers then with a white waxy
substance. A female lays a maximum of 100 eggs
in 7 days. They are white, elongate and
cylindrical and taper slightly at the ends.
Plant Hopper Eggs
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Lesson 2 Corn Plant Hopper
Crop damage Nymphs and adults suck sap causing
the plants to appear unhealthily yellow. Plant
growth becomes stunted. In severe cases of
infestation the top leaves start dying first.
But, drying gradually extends to older leaves
also. Sometimes, the whole plant dry and die
(Fig.). High infestation at the boot stage may
twist the top leaves and prevent the emergence of
ear-heads.
Damage due to Plant Hoppers
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Lesson 2 Corn Plant Hopper
Management A large number of predators attack
this pest and chemical control is usually not
required. However, Endosulfan or Carbaryl are
effective insecticides.