I have been hearing rumbles about grasshoppers in the Valley, mostly in grasslands. I visited a rice field last week with high grasshopper populations. Most of the grasshoppers were near field borders at a density of about 2-3 per square yard in the most dense areas. The grasshoppers had cause some defoliation, but not enough to cause any economic damage. The field was in the late boot stage, with some panicles already emerged from the boot. There was some panicle injury that looked just like armyworm injury, but there were no armwyorms in the field. Most likely, the grasshoppers caused this injury.

The grasshoppers in rice are about 1.5 inches long. They are easily disturbed and can be seen flying out as one moves through the rice. If you see grasshoppers, keep an eye on the population. In general, a treatment for grasshoppers is not recommended unless their population is high and they injure panicles.

Defoliation and panicle injury caused by grasshoppers.

Grasshoppers in rice.