Japonica cultivars' susceptibility to the rice water weevil Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea: Brachyceridae)

Italy is the largest rice‐producing country in the European Union. In Italy, only japonica cultivars are listed in the Italian National Register. Almost all of the rice production is concentrated in the Po Valley, where the rice water weevil Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel was first detected and settled. This study investigated the performance of this pest in terms of feeding, reproduction and plant injury on 10 rice cultivars chosen among the most widely grown in Italy. No‐choice experiments were conducted to evaluate the plant susceptibility to larval attack and to find out how cultivars can influence the adult leaf area consumption. The results gave evidence of different types of attack depending on the density of the insect (0.6 adults/plant vs. 0.9 adults/plant), the cultivar type and climatic conditions. Different cultivars with the same level of infestation gave different results in terms of productivity. Production was significantly affected by the larval presence in 4 of the 10 cultivars tested. A different population structure reflected a different damage severity. Statistically different values for total adult leaf area consumption were found according to adult female age and to the cultivar.