Current Trends and Emerging Technologies for Pest Control Management of Rice (Oryza sativa) Plants

Rice (Oryza sativa), with a global production of around 770 million tons, is a widely consumed staple cereal in Asian countries. The Food and Agricultural Organization has declared it as a strategic crop for global food security. During their life cycle and development, these plants go through the vegetative, reproductive and ripening phases. Each of these phases is susceptible to attack by several kinds of bacterial, fungal, viral and insect pests, which ultimately lead to premature crop death and subsequent yield losses. Control of these pests is most effectively and quickly achieved by treating plants with synthetic chemicals and their agroformulations. But biological/herbal constituents and their combinations can also control specific types of pests over a longer period of time. Moreover, currently, smart techniques, technologies, and materials for pest control have overcome several constraints associated with conventional systems. Nanotechnology has especially proven to be a boon, and so have emulsion formulations that facilitate controlled and sustained release of loaded actives to achieve a better efficacy with minimal environmental impact. Genetically resistant plant varieties, which are naturally resistant to specific pests, and do not need additional treatments to prevent pathogenic attacks, are also being developed. All these agents have specific implications that include environmental policies, potency issues, necessitated time of action, repeated usage requirements, long-term efficacy, and pest resistance development. This review describes rice plants’ developmental stages, pests that attack during these stages, and importantly also focuses on traditional and emerging pest control management strategies for achieving improved yields and economic sustainability.