Rice responses to the stem borer Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) by infrared-thermal imaging: Implications for field management

Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) is one of the main pests of rice crops and its early detection, that is, before the plants show damage, is essential to avoid yield losses and define effective and rational control. This work aimed to model the infrared-thermal responses of rice cultivars to D. saccharalis infestation levels. Between 2019 and 2020, two experiments were conducted in a protected environment with the cultivars IR 40 and BR IRGA 409, which presented, in a previous study, different resistance reactions. Rice plants grown in pots were manually infested with first-instar larvae of D. saccharalis, from 0 to 10 caterpillars/plant, with the plants kept in cages covered with voile fabric throughout the test. With the adjustment of regression models, it was noticed that the leaf surface temperature is related to the level of infestation and could be used to detect which IR 40 is susceptible.