> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://badixth-dc85e378.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Diagnose and Respond to Rice Gall Midge

> Identify rice gall midge from silver-shoot (onion leaf) galls that never produce panicles, and control it with resistant varieties, synchronized planting, and vector management.

Rice gall midge (*Orseolia oryzae* in Asia, *O. oryzivora* in Africa) larvae feed inside the growing point of tillers. The plant produces a tubular, hollow, silver-white "silver shoot" (also called onion leaf or ginger shoot) instead of a normal leaf. Affected tillers never produce a panicle. High-yielding varieties without a *Gm* resistance gene can lose more than 60% of tillers in outbreak conditions.

## When rice is most vulnerable

Tillering. Once panicle initiation has passed, new gall-midge attack cannot damage yield (the panicle is already committed).

## How gall midge shows in satellite data

* **Reduced tillering** across affected zones shows as lower-than-expected NDVI during tillering.
* Signature overlaps with N deficiency, poor soil, and zinc deficiency; separate with ground scouting for silver shoots.
* Once heading passes and non-panicle tillers are visible, the yield loss is already locked in.

<Warning>
  Gall midge looks like nutrient deficiency from above. If a top-dressing does not green up the affected zones and silver shoots are visible on scouting, suspect gall midge.
</Warning>

## Field symptoms

* Silver-white, tubular, hollow "silver shoot" replacing a normal leaf on affected tillers
* Affected tillers do not produce a panicle
* Reduced total tillering, uneven canopy height
* Damage is heaviest in shaded, humid, weedy plots and in staggered-planting areas

## Reduce the damage by

* **Grow resistant varieties** carrying *Gm* genes - by far the most effective control.
* **Synchronized planting** across a whole area breaks the continuous breeding cycle.
* **Destroy volunteer rice and grassy weeds** on bunds and fallow between seasons.
* **Reduce shading and improve drainage** where possible.
* **Selective insecticide** (chlorantraniliprole) only if scouting justifies it during tillering. **Carbofuran, long used for this, has been banned in Malaysia since 2023** - see [Pesticide registration](/snippets/pesticide-registration).
* **Do not rely on late-season insecticide** - once silver shoots appear, damage is already done.

## Set an alert for early warning

<Tip>
  Turn the diagnosis into a trigger. Focus alerts on the tillering window so silver shoots are caught while additional damage can still be prevented.
</Tip>

Recommended settings for gall midge on rice:

* **NDVI threshold alert** during tillering on susceptible varieties.
* **New Imagery alert** in the tillering window on fields with a history of gall midge.

## Related

* [Rice Diagnosis](/guides/Crop/Rice/rice-abiotic-stress)
* [Set up automated crop alerts](/guides/alerts-notifications)