Oryza glaberrima mature more quickly, and may be sown directly on higher ground, eliminating the need to transplant seedlings. Most is rain-watered, and the soil is often not cultivated. African rice has profuse vegetative growth, which smothers weeds. It exhibits better resistance to various rice pests and diseases, such as blast disease, African rice gall midge ("Orseolia oryzivora"), parasitic nematodes ("Heterodera sacchari" and "Meloidogyne" spp.), rice stripe necrosis virus, rice yellow mottle virus, and the parasitic plant "Striga". Most African rices shatter more than Asian rices, possibly because they have not been domesticated for as long. A few varieties of African rice
Scirpophaga nivella orange anal tuft, sometimes brownish in the female. The larvae are off white with a reddish dorsal line. Major feeding plant is sugarcane, besides "Oryza sativa", "Scirpus", "Cyperus", "Eleocharis" (including "Eleocharis dulcis") and "Calidum articulatum" are also susceptible as feeding plants of the moth. Caterpillars bore into midrib, by leaving red markings and small holes on the leaves. Then it bore in the upper portion of stem, causing "dead heart" symptoms. Gradually, side branches start growing from a lower node, giving a characteristic "bunchy top" appearance to the plant. Most effective method is using biological predators and parasitoids. It is