Resistance of Selected Rice Varieties against Brown Plant Hopper (Nilaparvata lugens) at Raisen District of Madhya Pradesh, India

The brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) is one of the most economically damaging pests in rice cultivation, causing significant yield losses across major rice-growing regions. In this study, eighteen rice varieties were field-screened under natural infestation conditions in Madhya Pradesh to assess their resistance levels against BPH. Eighteen varieties of paddy (Oryza sativa L.) were screened under field condition during Kharif 2022 & 2023, to evaluate their performance against BPH. The trial was laid out in randomized block design with three replications, at RNTU ARC farm, Raisen. Susceptible and resistant check varieties were TN-1 and PTB-33, respectively. The population of Nilaparvata lugens, was recorded throughout the crop period at 10 days intervals. MTU 1060 recorded the lowest brown planthopper density, indicating it was the least preferred by the pest. Close behind were the genotypes PTB-33 and Poornima, which had similarly low populations of 1.16 and 1.47 hoppers per plant, respectively. Statistical analysis showed that the differences in pest density among MTU 1060, PTB-33, and Poornima were not significant, indicating that these three genotypes exhibited similar levels of resistance to brown planthopper infestation. These findings provide valuable insights for selecting region-specific resistant genotypes and could be effectively utilized in rice breeding programs and integrated pest management strategies to combat BPH in a sustainable manner.