Relevance of Chemical Constituents in Conferring Tolerance to Yellow Stem Borer, Scirpophaga incertulas Wlk in Rice

Tolerant rice accessions were identified from a field study involving 196 rice accessions at Pandit Jawaharlal of Agriculture and Research Institute, Karaikal for rice yellow stem borer, Scirpophaga incertulas. Tolerant accessions in field study along with the susceptible check (TN1) were considered for analyzing biochemical parameters viz., chlorophyll content, total sugars, reducing sugars, total phenols, total soluble protein, and proline. Higher amounts of total phenols, moderate chlorophyll content, and lesser amounts of sugars were identified as the factors imparting resistance against this pest in the resistant entries. The correlation among the infestation percentage and biochemical parameters, revealed strong positive correlation between total sugars and infestation percentage; strong negative correlation between total phenols and infestation percentage implying the role of phenols in plant defense against rice yellow stem borer.