EFFECT OF TRICHOGRAMMA EVANESCENS WEST. RELEASE IN RICE STEM BORER CONTROL

Rice stem borer, chilo agamemnon bles. is the key insect pest of rice in egypt . symptoms of dead hearts and white heads are troublesome to the rice growers , whil refect reduction in rice yield. thus, the growers, tend to use insecticides to control this pest. however, biological control, using trichogramma evanescens west. release, was practised in rice fields at rasheed district, beheira governorate in 2009 and 2010 rice seasons in fields sown with the cultivar giza 178., the susceptible cultivar to the borer. the parasitoid was released twice, each at a rate of 30,000 parasitoids/ feddan. dead hearts, due to the parasitoids release, were reduced by 49.30-63.36% while white heads were reduced by 63.15-65.18% . the parasitoid release proved to be effective in controlling the rice stem borer, with no need to use insecticides.