This document provides information on various insect pests that attack sugarcane crops. It describes the scientific names, symptoms of damage, life cycles and IPM strategies for borers like Chilo infuscatellus, Scirpophaga nivella, Holotrichia serrata, and Odontotermes obesus. It also discusses other pests like Melanapis glomerata, Ripersia sacchari, Pyrilla perpusilla, Ceratobvacuna lanigera, Aleurolobus barodensis and their management. The document lists cultural, biological and chemical control methods for effective management of sugarcane insect pests.

1. Submitted to;
Dr. C. Narender reddy,
Professor,
Dept. of Entomology.
Submitted by;
Md. Abdul Malik,
ID.No. RAM/16-36.

2. Insect pest Scientific name Family Order
Chilo infuscatellus Pyralidae Lepidoptera
Chilo sacchariphagus
indicus Pyralidae
Lepidoptera
Scirpophaga nivella Pyralidae
Lepidoptera
B
O
R
E
R
C
O
M
P
L
E
X

3. Holotrichia
serrata
Melolonthidae Coleoptera
Odontotermes
obesus
Termitidae Isoptera
Melanapis
glomerata
Diaspididae Hemiptera
Ripersia sacchari Pseudococcidae Hemiptera
Pyrilla perpusilla Lophopidae
Hemiptera
Ceratobvacuna
lanigera
Aphididae
Hemiptera
Aleurolobus
barodensis
Alerodidae
Hemiptera
Continued…

4. Larva
pupa
adultEgg

5. Attack 1-3 month old crop and cause
Dead heart , which can be easily
pulled out.
Rotten portion of the cane coloured
dead heart emits an offensive odour.
A number of bore holes at the base
of the shoot just above the ground
level.
DEAD HEART
ROTTEN BASE
WITH HOLE
SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE

6. LarvaAdult
 Larvae are white with a black
head which later become
creamy in colour with
prominent brown spots
 Body bearing stout hairs in
each section of the body
 Adult moths are yellowish or
straw coloured with thin brown
lines along the length of the
forewings
 Hind wings in females are white
but slightly darker in males

7. SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE
Constricted and shortened
internodes, with a number of
boreholes filled with excreta
at nodal region.
Reddening of affected
tissues inside the cane.
Fresh borer attack is mostly
found in the top five
immature internodes and its
activity continues till harvest.
Multiple holes with
excreta outside
Hole just
above the
node

8. AdultLarvaEgg
Milky white moth
Brownish tuft of
silken hair at the
tip of abdomen
 Full grown larva
is 25- 30mm
 Long creamy
white & rather
sluggish.
Adult
Dull white elongate
eggs
Covered by buff
coloured hairs
from female anal
tuft

9. SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE
Parallel rows of short holes
in the emerging leaves causes
a white streak which later
turns reddish brown
Dead heart in grown up canes
reddish brown in color which
cannot be easily pulled .
In tillering phase of the crop,
the attacked shoots die, side
shoots (tillers) develop
producing a bunchy top
appearance Bunchy
top
Parallel
rows of
short
holes

10.  Time of planting
 Early planting during December –
January to escape the shoot borer
incidence.
 Manuring
 Avoid excess use nitrogenus fertilizers.
 Stalk borer and internode borer.
 Trash mulching and earthing up
 Early shoot borer and Internode borer
 Detrashing
 Internode borer and Stalk borer
IPM for Sugarcane borers
EARTHING UP
DETRASHING
M
A
N
U
R
I
N
G
 Use of pheromone traps @ 5/acre for
monitoring of adult moths

11.  Removal and destruction of infested cane
 Early shoot borer
 Collection and destruction of eggs
 Internode borer and Top borer
 Cultivation of resistance variety
 Co 975, Co 46, Co 7304, Co 312,
Co 421, Co 661, Co 7706, CO 7005
 Irrigation at closer intervals for managing
 Practice deep harvesting to destroy
stubbles
 Early shoot borer
 Removal of water shoots to destroy
 Top shoot borer

12. For Early shoot borer :
• Trichogramma chilonis
For Internode borer :
• Trichogramma chilonis
For Top borer :
• Trichogramma chilonis or T. japonicum
• Isotima javensis
 Release 50,000 Trichogramma sp./ha at 10-20 days interval from
July onwards upto October against cane borer complex.
 Release of Isotima javensis against 3rd and 4th broods of top borer.
S. inferens
I. javensis

13. Insecticide and
formulation
Dosage Method and time of
application
SHOOT BORER
Chlorpyrifos 20EC 1kg a.i ha -1 (5 litre) Soil drenching at planting
and if need be at 45 days
after planting.
Cypermethrin10%
EC
260-304 ml in 200-
280 l of water/acre
Sprayed around the base of
plants at 30days and if need
be at 60days after planting.
Fipronil 5%SC 1500-2000 ml/ha Properly sprayed on crop
canopy as well as basal part
of the plant after 30-45 days
of planting
NSKE 5 % 25 Kg/ha Sprayed on soil as well as on
crop to prevent larval feeding

14. TOP BORER
Carbofuran 3 G or
Phorate 10 G
1 kg a.i./ha (33 kg)
or
3 kg a.i./ha (30 kg)
Soil application during last
week of June or first week of
July against third brood of
the pest in sub-tropical India.
INTER NODE BORER
Monocrotophos 36
SL
3 kg a.i./ha (7.5 lit.)
Both foliar and Soil
application during July-
August.
Continued…

15. The eggs are oval creamy white when
fresh and later turn to brown in colour
The newly hatched grub is white &
scarabaeiform
The pupa is exarate type and pupation
takes place in soil
- Generally the adults are lamellate
and males being smaller than female.
- Dark brown beetles.

16. SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE
Both grub and adult cause the
damage
Grub feeds on fine rootlets and
then girdles of the main roots .
Yellowing and wilting of leaves
and finally dries out
Affected canes come off
easily when pulled

17. Cultural Methods
 Collection and destruction of adult beetles from host
trees.
 Picking of grubs manually from field
 Repeated ploughing & exposing various stages of
grub to their natural enemies.
 The use of light trap.
Biological Methods
 Bacillus popillae (Bacteria)
 Beauveria bassiana (Fungus)
IPM strategy for White grub
Chemical Methods
 The adult can be controlled by -
 Carbaryl 0.1%
 Monocrotophos 0.05%
 Chlorpyriphos 0.05%
 The grub can be controlled by -
 Phorate 10 G @25 kg per ha.
 Carbofuran 3G @35 kg per ha.
(Light trap)

18.  Workers attack the
newly planted setts and
affect germination.
 They enter through cut ends of
setts & feed on the soft tissue.
 The tunnel is filled with the soil.
 The termites attack setts, shoots,
canes and also stubbles
 Entire shoot dries up and can
be pulled out easily
SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE

19. The use of partially decomposed manure should be
avoided
Locate and destroy the termite colony near by field
Irrigation water with crude oil emulsion.
 The removal of decaying organic matters cow dung,
wood or dry stubbles from the field.
 Setts treatment with Imidacloprid (0.1%) or
Chlorpyriphos 20 EC 0.04 % for 5 min.
 Application of well rotten Neem cake manure @ 60
Cartloads/ ha.
Spray Chlorpyriphos 20%EC 750 ml/ha
IPM strategy for Termite

20.  Pale greenish yellow eggs in clusters
 Eggs are laid on the underside of leaves,
covered over with a white filamentous
waxy material secreted by the female
 Newly hatched nymphs are milky
white in color
 They posses a characteristic feather
like processes covered by wax
 Adults are straw coloured with wings
folded like a roof on the back
 Head is prominently drawn forward as
a sort of rostrum.
EGG
N
Y
M
P
H
ADULT

21. SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE
Adults and the nymphs suck leaf
sap from the under surface of the
lower leaves.
Leaves become yellow, top
leaves get dried up and lateral
buds germinate
Hoppers exude honeydew, result
the leaves are completely covered
by the sooty mould. This affects
photosynthesis.
Black sooty
mould
Yellowing in
leaf

22.  Burn trashes after harvesting canes
 Remove lower leaves bearing egg cluster.
 Ratooning should be avoided
 Balance Nitrogen should be applied.
 Dust malathion 5% @ 40kg/ha. or
Spray malathion 50 EC @ 1.25kga.i./ha.
 Release of 8,000-12,000 cocoons or 3.2 to 4
lakh eggs of Epiricania melanoleuca per ha.
during July-August
 Use Metarhizium anisopliae (fungal pathogen)
IPM strategy for Pyrilla
E. melanoleuca

23.  Nymphs and adults feed by sucking
the juice and cause shrivelling up
and stunting of canes.
 Nodal region is more infested than
internodal region.
 Infested crop losses its vigour, canes
shrivel, non-opening of leaves &
ultimately cane dries up
 Such canes when slit open appear
brownish red
SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE
Node

24.  Stripping of cane leaves may minimize attack
 Select and plant the scale insect free setts
 Avoid water stagnation for the longer period
 Detrash the crop at 150th and 210th day of planting.
 Give hot water treatment before planting
 Presoak the setts in 0.1% solution Malathion 50 EC
 Spray 1.25 litres of Malathion 50 EC or 2 litres of
Di-methoate 30 EC in 1250 litres of water per ha
 Spray methyl demeton 25 EC @ 2ml/lit of water
IPM strategy for Sugarcane Scale

25. SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE
Pinkish oval insects beneath leaf
sheath & on the nodes, with whitish
waxy coating.
 Nymph and adult suck juice from cane in group
& reduces vigour of the plant
 It also attack roots
 Honey dew secretion leads to development of
Sooty mould which gives blackish appearance
to canes.

26. IPM strategy for Sugarcane Mealy bug
 Use resistant varieties like CO 439, CO 443, CO 720, CO 730
 Drain excess water from the field
 Detrash the crop on 150 and 210 Days After Planting.
 Apply methyl parathion 50 EC 1000 ml.
 Rubbing of setts with gunny bag pieces dipped in Malathion
(0.1% solution.)
 Biocontrol agents
Brumoides suturalis
Leptomastix dactyolopii
B. suturalis L. dactyolopii
(Predator
)
(Parasitoid)

27. Nymphs and adult
of C. lanigera
Alate (winged) form
of C. lanigera
SYMPTOMS OF DAMAGE
Nymphs and adult feed in groups
and weaken cane
Leaves turn yellow color because of
sucking sap by these aphids
Sooty mould growth on lower leaves
of woolly aphid infested plant.
( Affected plant leaves )

28.  Removal of water shoots
 Detrashing of canes in woolly aphid prone areas.
IPM strategy for Sugarcane Woolly Aphid
Dipha aphidivora Micromus igorotus
Biocontrol agents
Syrphid larvae Aphelinus desantisi
( PREDATORS ) ( PARASITOID )
 Release of M. igorotus @ 2600 grubs/ha
 Release of Dipha aphidivora @ 1000 larvae/ha

29.  Soil application of phorate 10G @ 10 kg or
carbofuron 3G @ 30 kg /ha in
 Foliar application of dimethoate 30 EC @
0.05% acephate 75 SP
@ 0.1% at 15-20 days
interval depending on pest population.
Synonycha
grandis (Thunberg)
Megalocaria
dilatata (Fabricius
Coelophora
biplagiata (Swartz)
OTHER NATURAL PREDATORS

31. Management
• Avoid excessive use of nitrogenous
fertilizers
• Nymphal parasitoids: Azotus
delhiensis
 Predators: Chilocorus nigritus
 Moncrotohphos 36 SL @ 2 lit /ha

32. REFERENCES
 Atwal, A.S. 1976. Agricultural Pests of India and South
East Asia. Kalyani Publishers, Ludhiana.
 Vasantharaj David, B. 2003. Elements of Economic
Entomology. Popular Book Depot,Coimbatore.
 Vasantharaj David, B and Aanathakrishnan, T.N.. 2006.
General and Applied Entomology. Tata McGraw-Hill
Publishing House, New Delhi.