Sugarcane Borer
What are the symptoms
Sugarcane borer sometimes is a serious pest of sugarcane. Larvae bore into the sugarcane stalks.
In mature plants the tops tend to weaken or die, sometimes breaking off. In young plants the inner whorl of leaves is killed, resulting in a condition known as "dead heart."
The amount and purity of juice that can be extracted from cane are reduced when borers are present, and sucrose yield may be decreased by 10 to 20%.Lastly, when seed cane is attacked, the tunneling by borers makes the seed piece susceptible to fungal infection.
When large larvae tunnel through the stalk, causing the plant to be prone to breakage.
Impact to the crop
Sugarcane borer infestation can interfere with the quality of the raw material (e.g., sucrose content, soluble solids, purity, juice acidity, and fiber).
How to control
It is advisable to destroy cane trash as it will reduce dormancy by larvae, but the practice of burning does not always kill borers deep within the stalks. borers can also attack other crops and weeds, but sugarcane is the primary host. Some sugarcane cultivars display considerable resistance to sugarcane borer (Bessin et al. 1990, Bessin and Reagan 1993).
Source: Bessin RT, Reagan TE. 1990. Fecundity of sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), as affected by larval development on gramineous host plants. Environmental Entomology 19: 635-639.
Bessin RT, Reagan TE. 1993. Cultivar resistance and arthropod predation of sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) affects incidence of deadhearts in Louisiana sugarcane. Journal of Economic Entomology 86: 929-932.
University of Florida, "Featured Creatures (Entomology and Nematology). Retrieved from:http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/field/sugarcane_borer.htm
