Rodents and rice virus transmitting insects such as brown planthoppers (BPH: Nilaparvata lugens) and green leaf hoppers (GLH: Nephotettix virescens) are important pests of rice in Southeast Asia.During recent mapping surveys of BPH outbreaks in Central Java,Indonesia,rice virus symptoms that include yellowing and stunting were commonly observed in patches of rice fields that had severe rat damage.It is known that BPH and GLH,both of which transmit rice viruses,are attracted to young rice plants.We investigated whether rodent damaged rice that has new compensatory tiller growth is more susceptible to plant sap-sucking insects and the viral diseases that they transmit.At the International Rice Research Institute farm,Philippines,108 1x1 m quadrats were set up in a replicated series of 12 rice field plots that had two nitrogen and two rice variety treatments.During maximum tillering,one of the following three treatments was then applied to each quadrat; i) rats (Rattus tanezumi) were introduced into enclosures overnight and allowed to damage rice; ii) rice was mechanically cut to simulate rat damage; and iii) no damage was applied.Ten days later,hopper cages were set up over each quadrat and tungro virus infected GLH were introduced into half of these.Leaf samples were screened at the end of the cropping season for tungro virus using ELISA.Initial findings suggest a positive relationship between the proportion of tillers damaged in a rice plant and infection with tungro virus,but no difference in the overall prevalence of tungro virus per quadrat between rat,simulated or control treatments.Further results and implications for pest management will be discussed.