Panicle Rice Mite

Panicle rice mite, Steneotarsonemus spinki Smiley, is a major pest of rice worldwide. The mite has been detected in connecticut,New jersey, Newyork.

Morphology and description of Adults:Female mites in the genus Steneotarsonemus are characterized by having stigmata close to setae v1; an elongate-slender body with reduced sejugal and poststernal apodemes; males often with round to membranous lobes on femorogenu IV; both genders with small pharynx and broadly subquadrate to broadly ovoid gnathosoma. All measurements are given in micrometers (mm).Key to Steneotarsonemus species collected on Oryza sativa in the United States of newjersey.

Adult female and male: gnathosoma subquadrate.atrium of main tracheal trunk large, each side divided into two elongate portions; male: seta v0F on femorogenu leg IV setose 2 – Adult female and male: gnathosoma subcircular; female atrium of main tracheal trunk conspicuously encap-sulated, strongly ovoid; male. seta v0F on femorogenuleg IV modified, bifurcate – Steneotarsonemus furcatus

The panicle rice mite, whose scientific name is Steneotarsonemus spinki, is so small that it can only be seen with a magnifying lens. Its common name is derived from the panicle or seed head at the tip of the rice shoot, which the mite infests and deforms. The mite does not fly, but can be unintentionally transported on clothing, farming implements or infested rice seed. Infestation by the mite causes browned rice hulls and leaf damage, and sometimes transmits fungal diseases to the plant.

The panicle rice mite was first introduced to the United States in 2007 and has been found in Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Ohio and New York. Until the discovery at UC Davis, it had never been identified in California or elsewhere in the western United States. The mite has been particularly destructive in rice fields of tropical regions of Asia, specifically China and Taiwan, as well as in the Caribbean and Central America.

It is not known whether the panicle rice mite can even survive Northern California’s cold winters; nevertheless, we are taking every precaution to ensure that the mite does not move beyond our greenhouses.Parrella added that the university also will conduct an internal review of existing procedures for handling rice seed brought in from elsewhere in the United States, with the goal of preventing future pest infestations.

Beyond Pest Control  Chemical control for field infestations of the panicle rice mite (PRM) has been difficult in other countries because PRMs are present in a protected area of the plant – behind the leaf sheath. Research is being conducted to determine if systemic miticides and/or insecticides with trans-laminar activity could be a good option for control.Rotation with an alternate crop,Cleaning machinery before using in an un-infested field,Avoidance of second cropping.

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