Sugarcane is an important commercial crop that has been used
for centuries as a feedstock for sugar production. Sugarcane borers are among
the most critical constraints to cane yield and sugar recovery in India. In
Andhra Pradesh, the early shoot borer (ESB), Chilo infuscatellus Snellen and
the internode borer (INB), Chilo sacchariphagus indicus Kapur, are the
predominant pests, causing substantial yield losses. Considering the severe
damage caused by these borers, particularly during the early stages of crop
development, effective pest management is essential to maintain optimal plant
density and achieve high cane yield. The aim of this study is to assess the
impact of borer infestation on cane yield and evaluate the efficacy of various
management strategies, including chemical, non-chemical, and integrated pest
management (IPM) methods. Field studies were conducted in a Randomised Block
Design (RBD) comprised of four treatments and four replications at the Regional
Agricultural Research Station, Anakapalle, during 2023-24 and 2024-25. The
study included four treatments, namely, chemical control, non-chemical control,
integrated practices (IPM) involving both chemical and non-chemical methods,
and an untreated control. The data on ESB were recorded at 30, 60, 90 and 120
days after planting. The data on INB, growth parameters, and juice sucrose were
recorded at harvest. Standard procedures were followed for recording
observations, and the data were statistically analysed. The results revealed
that more than 30% early shoot borer (ESB) incidence and 100% internode borer
(INB) infestation with 26.6% intensity reduced the number of millable canes,
juice sucrose, and cane weight, resulting in 18.7 per cent yield loss compared
to the protected plot with IPM module (chemical + non-chemical). The IPM module
significantly reduced the ESB and INB infestations and increased cane yield by
23.1% over the untreated control, achieving a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 2.73.
In chemical and non-chemical methods alone resulted in yield increases of 19.9%
and 16.7%, with BCRs of 2.69 and 2.62, respectively. The present findings
emphasise the effectiveness of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies in
controlling sugarcane borers, which demonstrated that combining chemical, cultural,
biological, and pheromone-based methods offer an effective approach for
managing borer pests in sugarcane. These results also highlight the
effectiveness of adopting integrated approaches over standalone chemical or
non-chemical methods for sustainable borer pest management and yield
enhancement in sugarcane.
Author(s) Details
Bhavani B
Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, Regional Agricultural Research
Station, Anakapalle, India.
Saritha R
Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, Regional Agricultural Research
Station, Anakapalle, India.
Visalakshi M
Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, Regional Agricultural Research
Station, Anakapalle, India.
Adilakshmi D
Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, Regional Agricultural Research
Station, Anakapalle, India.
Mukunda Rao Ch
Acharya N G Ranga Agricultural University, Regional Agricultural Research
Station, Anakapalle, India.
Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/rpbs/v7/6265
