Nilaparvata lugens damages plants by sucking sap from the mesophyll and blocking the xylem and phloem by laying egg masses in the midribs of the leaf sheath and leaf blade. Affected plants become chlorotic. Older leaves turn progressively yellow from the tip to the midpoint of the leaf, then gradually dry up and die. This feeding damage is commonly referred to as hopperburn. Hopperburn begins in patches but can spread rapidly as the planthoppers move from dying plants to adjacent plants.