This document provides information on two sugarcane pests: the sugarcane scale (Melanapsis glomerata) and the sugarcane leafhopper (Pyrilla perpusilla). It describes their taxonomic classification, life cycles, damage symptoms, and management strategies. The sugarcane scale is an armored scale insect that sucks plant sap and weakens the cane, while the leafhopper excretes honeydew allowing sooty mold to grow. Cultural practices like trash removal and tolerant varieties, along with biological and chemical controls, can help manage these pests.

1. ACHARYA N.G RANGAAGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY
Agricultural college, Bapatla
Course No : ENT 511
Course Title : Pests of field crops
Topic : SUGARCANE SCALES AND LEAFHOPPER
Submitted to,
Dr. Ch. Sandhya rani
Professor
Department of entomology
Agricultural college
Bapatla.
Submitted by,
P. Vijay babu
BAM 18- 41.

2. P. Vijay babu
BAM-18-41

3. 1. Sugarcane scale:-
 Taxonomic position:-
 Scientific name : Melanapsis glomerata
 Family : Diaspididae
 Order : Hemiptera

4. Pest background:-
 This armoured scale is of considerable importance in
Andhra pradesh, gujarat, karnataka, maharashtra and
madhya pradesh.
 It is reported to gain entry into Nizamabad district (now
telangana) of combined A.P in 1966.
 From there to East godavari district in 1968 and from
there to west godavari and krishna districts.
 Now the pest persists in the latter 3 districts and in former
district it is not of much consequence.

5. Bionomics:-
 Adults are grayish brown/
black in color.
 Irregularly oval and slightly
convex in shape.
 Females are pyriform shape.
 The males are winged and
smaller in size but are rare.
 The adult female is
ovoviviparous.

6.  The nymphs(crawlers) that hatch
inside female come out through
the genital aperture.
 Crawl about sometime and settle
down after selecting suitable
spot, preferably on the
internodes.
 Freshly hatched crawlers are tiny
and light yellowish colour.

7.  The tiny nymphs after settling
down insert their mouthparts into
the tissue and start sucking the
sap.
 Females are sedentary
throughout their life.
 They form a protected covering
i.e., scales starts soon after a
nymph gets settled and becomes
thicker and increases in size.

8.  Infestation commences with the formation of the
internodes and continues to increase as the plant grows.
 Plant sap is sucked and the plant is devitalized.
 There exists a correlation between the no. of stomata in
the stem epidermis and the intensity of attack.
 (Reason:- stomata are mostly preferred to insert the
stylets).

9.  In highly susceptible varieties of sugarcane,
1. Germination - 20%
2. Wt. of canes - 13 %
3. Juice sucrose content – 47 %
4. Bulk density - 28 %
5. Purity - 26 %

10. Symptoms of damage:-
 Shrivelled canes become with
shortened internodes.
 Formation of shiny thick
encrustation on the cane,
maximum on the bottom and
middle of the cane.

11. Management:-
 A variety CO-7706 has been found to be moderately
tolerant to scales.
 Immersion of setts before planting in dimethoate 2ml/L
for atleast 15 min.
 Spraying of malathion 2ml/L or dimethoate 1.7ml/L on the
exposed basal nodes twice at an interval of 10-15 days
whenever the stage of the crop and its growth permits.

12.  Release of the predatory coccinellids,
 Pharoscymnus hornii
 Chilocorus nigritus in detrashed fields after july.

13. 2. Sugarcane leafhopper:-
 Taxonomic position:-
 Scientific name : Pyrilla perpusilla
 Family : Lophopidae
 Order : Hemiptera

14. Bionomics:-
 It is a potential pest occurring in an
epidemic form in uttar pradesh and
punjab.
 It also seen in bihar and maharashtra.
 It infests wheat, sorghum, rice, mango,
oats, barley etc.
 Adults are straw coloured with two pairs
of wings folded like a roof on the back.
 The head prominently drawn forward as
a sort of rostrum.

15.  About 600-800 pale greenish yellow eggs are laid on the
upper side of leaves in clusters.
 Covered over with a white filamentous waxy material
secreted by the female.
 Newly hatched nymphs are milky white in color with a
pair of characteristic processes or filaments covered by
wax.
 Nymphal period lasts for 3 months.
 Life cycle is completed in about 2 months.
 There are 3-4 generations in a year.

17. Nature of damage :-
 Both adults and nymphs suck the sap from under surface
of leaves and devitalize the plant.
 In severe cases, the leaves dry up and the plant is stunted.
 Due to feeding sucrose percentage of juice is adversely
affected.
 Besides sucking sap, they excrete honey dew that spreads
on the leaves on which a black fungus develops.
 Adversely affecting the photosynthesis and ultimately the
yield.

18. Damage symptoms:-
 Affected plants present sickly and
blightened appearance.
 Development of sooty mould.
 Swarms of these insects in all
stages on the tender foliage.
 Fading and drying up of the
leaves.

19. Management :-
 Cultural practices like prompt destruction of trash after
harvest.
 Selection of tolerant varieties.
 Mechanical methods of collecting and destroying egg
masses in the initial stages i.e, april to may.
 Tetrastichus pyrillae and lepidopteran parasite,
Epiricania melanoleuca naturally supress the population.

20. Tetrastichus pyrillae

21. Pyrilla nymph carrying the larvae of
E. melanoleuca
Pyrilla adult