Sugarcane crop Insect-pests & their management

Early shoot borer and white wooly aphids are important insect-pests of sugarcane. White wooly aphid (Ceravacuna lanigera) is the major insect pest of sugarcane. Its young larvae is yellow green in color with two horns. It sheds its skin 2-3 times in one month. Adult fly has white wool on its body. Its rapid feeding on leaf juice, results into early drying of leaves and thinning of cane. Other insects that affect sugarcane are white fly, thrips, mealy bugs, mites, scaly pests etc. Their incidence is more in crops provided with chemical nitrogen. Under organic system they rarely assume threatening proportion.

Insect-Pest management

Release of Trichogramma chilonis @ 50,000 per ha after 45 days of planting ensures effective biological control of early shoot borer. Inundative release of Chrysoperla 2500 to 5000 eggs/ha helps in control of white wooly aphid.

Following organic sprays have been found to be effective in control of white fly, thrips, mealy bugs and mites.

• Boil 1 lit of milk with 15 lit of water, cool and spray.
• Ferment whey in copper container for 5 days and use as foliar spray
• Cow urine fermented in copper container for 5 days.

For control of white wooly aphids, take Custard apple leaves- 2kg, Pongam leaves- 2kg and Besharam (Ipomea) leaves- 2kg with 500 ml Neem oil in a earthen pot and add 8-10 lit of hot water. Seal the mouth of container with mud and keep for 24-36 hours. Crush the contents and filter. Add 200 gm soap powder. Mix 1-2 lit of this solution with 15 lit water and use as foliar spray. Alternatively grate 2 kg onion in 5lit cow urine and 5 lit sour buttermilk.  Mix thoroughly and keep in copper pot for seven days and allow to ferment. Filter and mix with 100-lit water and use as foliar spray.  If required, repeat the spray after 20 days.