Oryza nivara Oryza nivara Oryza nivara is a wild progenitor of the cultivated rice "Oryza sativa". It is found growing in swampy areas, at edge of pond and tanks, beside streams, in ditches, in or around rice fields. Grows in shallow water up to 0.3 m, in seasonally dry and open habitats. It is an annual, short to intermediate height (usually <2 m) grass; panicles usually compact, rarely open; spikelets large, 6-10.4 mm long and 1.9-3.4 mm wide, with strong awn (4–10 cm long); anthers 1.5–3 mm long. Its distribution includes Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand,
Mythimna separata light dorsal stripe, with black-brown lateral stripe along spiracle line. spiracles brown with black rim. Pupae are yellowish brown and shiny. The moth flies from January to April depending on the location. The larvae feed on a range of agricultural plants like "Zea mays", "Sorghum bicolor" and "Oryza sativa" and are thus considered a pest. Caterpillars do not feed on "Momordica charantia" due to the presence of the triterpenoid glucoside called momordicine II, which is a natural inhibitor of caterpillar actions. China experiences periodic outbreaks of northern armyworm infestation. The outbreak in 2012 was particularly severe. Larva can be hand