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Within-field damage and distribution patterns of the stalk borer, Eldana saccharina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), in sugarcane and a comparison with nematode damage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2009

S.D. Berry ,
G.W. Leslie ,
V.W. Spaull  and
P. Cadet
S.D. Berry*
Affiliation:
South African Sugarcane Research Institute, Private Bag X02, Mount Edgecombe, South Africa
G.W. Leslie
Affiliation:
South African Sugarcane Research Institute, Private Bag X02, Mount Edgecombe, South Africa
V.W. Spaull
Affiliation:
South African Sugarcane Research Institute, Private Bag X02, Mount Edgecombe, South Africa
P. Cadet
Affiliation:
Institut du Recherche et Developpment/CBGP, CS 30016, Montpellier, France
*
*Author for correspondence Fax: +27 31 508 7597 E-mail: shaun.berry@sugar.org.za
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Abstract

The occurrence of Eldana saccharina (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) was monitored in grids represented by plots in 12 nematicide trials in South African sugarcane fields. The trials encompassed a total of eight plant cane crops and 22 ratoon crops and were situated within commercial cane fields. Several measurements were made to characterize the damage caused by E. saccharina. These included the number of internodes per stalk, the percentage of internodes damaged and the percentage of stalks damaged. The mapping of E. saccharina infestation in plant crops of sugarcane showed that the borders of the trials were as infested as the centre, indicating invasion from outside the field plus internal spread within the field. Ratoon crops were less infested than plant crops. This could be explained by a shorter ratoon crop cycle and by the fields having areas that were more suitable for the borer than elsewhere. The location of these preferred areas could be predicted from one ratoon crop to the next but was not related to the distribution of the borer in the plant crop. This situation was thought to explain the apparent stabilization of E. saccharina infestation in ratoon cane. Because the borer was found at harvest only in stalks with more than 14 to 16 internodes, it appeared that the oldest shoots, or the shoots with the greatest growth potential, attracted the insect, possibly due to their higher nitrogen content, which would stimulate growth. All the trials were on sandy soil, and crop loss from nematodes was greater than that caused by E. saccharina.

Keywords

borerEldana saccharinanematodessugarcane
Type
Research Paper
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 100 , Issue 4 , August 2010 , pp. 373 - 385
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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