Sugarcane Insect Pest and Their Management

Pests of Sugarcane

Sugarcane Insect Pest

Major Pests

1.Early Shoot Borer

 Scientific Name: Chilo infuscatellus

Host Range– Pearl Millet, Oat, Barley & Maize

Damage symptoms

• Dead heart in 1-3 month old crop, which can be easily pulled out, rotten portion of the straw coloured deadheartemits an offensive odour.
• A number of bore holes at the base of the shoot just above the ground level can be seen.
• It is major pest in the early stage of the crop.

Management

• Grow resistant varieties: CO 312, CO 421, CO 661, CO 917 and CO 853.
• Intercrop with Sesbania sp.(Daincha) for reduced shoot borer incidence
• Ensure adequate moisture
• Remove and destroy dead hearts
• Release tachinid parasitoid: Sturmiopsis inferens @ 125 gravid females.
• Apply carbofuran 3G @ 33 kg or fipronil 0.3 G 25.0-33.0 kg / ha in the soil before the cane setts are covered.
• Apply cartap hydrochloride 4G or fipronil 0.3 G at 25 kg /ha by mixing in 50 kg soil.
• Spray monocrotophos 36 SL 1000 ml or endosulfan 35 EC 1000 ml or chlorpyriphos 20 EC 1000 ml or chlorantraniprole 18.5 SC 375 ml or fipronil 5 SC 1.5-2.0 L

 

2.Internode borer

Scientific Name: Chilo sacchariphagus

Host Range– Pearl Millet, Rice And Sorghum

Damage symptoms

• Internodes constricted and shortened, with a number of boreholes and fresh excreta in the nodal region.
• Affected tissues become reddened.

3.Top borer

Scientific Name: Scirpophaga excerptalis

Host range– Millets and other grasses

Damage symptoms

• Dead heart in grown up canes, which cannot be easily pulled dead heart reddish brown in colour.
• Parallel row of shot holes in the emerging leaves and red tunnels in the midribs of leaves.
• Bunchy top appearance due to the growth of side shoots.

Management

• Grow resistant varieties: Co 724, Co 67, Co 1158
• Collect and destroy the egg masses
• Egg parasitoids- Telenomus beneficiens, Tetrastichus schoenobi, Trichogramma chilonis
• Larval parasitoids: Goniozus indicus, Chelonus sp.
• pupal parasitoid: Tetrastichus ayyari
• Spray Chlorantraniprole 18.5 SC 375 ml in 1000 L water per ha

4.Whitegrub

Scientific Name: Holotrichia consanguinea

Host range– Sorghum, maize, pearl millet, chillies, bhendi & brinjal

Damage symptoms

• Drying of crown, preceded by yellowing and wilting of leaves.
• Affected canes come off easily when pulled.
• Cause extensive damage to roots.
• Grub ‘C’ shaped, whitish yellow in colour found close to the base of the clump.

Management

• Grow resistant cultivars like Co 6304, Co 1158, Co 5510
• Set up light trap to attract and destroy the adults
• Crop rotation in endemic areas
• Collect and destroy the adult beetles – neem, Ailanthus and Acacia

5.Termites

Scientific Name: Odontotermes obesus

Damage symptoms

• A major problem in light soils.
• poor germination of setts (after planting), characteristic semi-circular feeding.
• marks on the margin of the leaves in the standing crop.
• Entire shoot dries up and can be pulled out.
• Setts hollow inside and may be filled with soil.
• Cane collapses if disturbed; rind filled with mud.

Management

• Locate and destroy the termite colony
• Destroy the affected setts from the field
• Treat setts with Imidacloprid 70 WS 100-150 g per 100 setts.
• Spray chlorantraniprole 18.5 SC 500-625 ml or imidacloprid 17.8 SL 350 ml with 500 L water/ha.

6.Whiteflies

Scientific Name: Aleurolobus barodensis

Damage symptoms

• Leaves, turn pinkish and gradually dry later.
• Infested leaves look white, while those below are black due to the growth of sooty mould on the honeydew.

Management

• Avoid excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers
• Conserve nymphal parasitoids viz., Azotus delhiensis, Encarsia isacci
• Encourage predators viz., Chilocorus nigritus,Scymnus nubilus
• Spray Moncrotohphos 36 SL 2 L /ha

7.Leaf hopper/Sugarcane pyrilla

Scientific Name: Pyrilla perpusilla

Host Range: Sugarcane, Wheat, Barley, Oats, Maize, Sorghum

Damage symptoms

• It can cause severe damage when long spells of rainy or cloudy days are prevalent.
• As high nitrogen applicaton favours multiplication, it is also referred to as richman’s pest.
• Symptoms are yellow leaves, covered with black sooty mould; top leaves get dried up and lateral buds germinate.

Management

• Avoid excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers
• Release 4000 -5000 cocoons or 4-6 lakhs egg of Epiricania melanoleuca (Lepidopteran predator) per ha.
• Conserve predators viz., Brumus suturalis, Chilomenes sexmaculatus and Coccinella septumpunctata
• Spray endosulfan 35 EC 2 L in 1000 L water/ ha

8.Mealybug

Scientific Name: Saccharicoccus sacchari

Host Range: Sugarcane, Reeds and Some Grasses

Damage symptoms

• Pinkish oval insects beneath leaf sheath on the nodes, with whitish mealy coating.
• Sooty mould develops on the plant. Main cane stunted; roots also attacked.

Management

• Use resistant varieties: CO 439, CO 443, CO 720
• Detrash on 150 and 210 DAP
• Drain excess water
• Spray methyl parathion 50 EC or malathion 50 EC 1000 ml 1000 L water/ ha

9.Scale insects

Scientific Name: Melanaspis glomerata

Damage symptoms

• They develop as dark encrustations on the internode.
• They settle after selecting suitable site for feeding.
• Adults become greyish black or brown circular scales and cover the nodal region forming a thick encrustation.

Management

• Keep the bunds free from weeds.
• Avoid repeated ratoons.
• Presoak the setts in 0.1% malathion solution
• Predators- Chilocorus nigritus, Pharoscymnus horni
• Spray dimethoate 30 EC or methyl demeton 25 EC 750 ml 1000 L water/ ha

10.Sugarcane woolly aphid

Scientific Name: Ceratovacuna lanigera

Damage symptoms

• It is a congregation of large number of white coloured nymphs and adults on the under surface.
• Honeydew secretion with sooty mould on upper surface of the leaves.
• Canes with short inter nodes and narrow leaves with reduced girth.

Management

• Spray infested crop with acephate 75 SP 2.0 kg or monocrotophos 36 WSC 2.0L or dimethoate 30EC 2.0 L in 1000 L of water

Minor Pests

Scientific Name	Family	Order
Black winged bug
Proutista moesta	Derbidae	Hemiptera
Aphid
Melanaphis sacchari	Aphididae	Hemiptera
Skipper
Telicota augias	Hesperiidae	Lepidoptera
Gurdaspur borer
Bissetia steniellus	Crambidae	Lepidóptera
Grasshopper
Oxya velox	Acrididae	Orthoptera
Spiny beetle
Asamangulia cuspidate	Hispidae	Coleoptera
Sugarcane mite
Schizotetranychus andropogoni	Tetranychidae	Coleoptera

Sugarcane Insect Pest