Sugarcane Wooly Aphid: Ceratovacuna lanigera
Symptom:
- The congregation of a large number of white coloured nymphs and adults on the undersurface of the leaf.
- Yellowing and drying of leaves from the tip along the margins.
- Leaves become brittle and dry completely.
- Heavy secretion of honeydew leads to the development of sooty mold.
- Deposition of wooly matter on ground/soil distinctly visible.
Identification of pest:
- Nymphs are yellowish white in colour with less powdery substance. Two forms of adult viz., apterate and alate. The Alate forms are predominantly white in colour. Apterate often possesses crenulated margins of wax glands in rows. Such wax glands are absent in alate. Adult emerges after the fourth moult and viviparous reproduction. Apterous (Wingless) female reproduce parthenogenetically. Each female produced about 15 – 35 young ones. Each female reproduces maximum of 217 nymphs with more number of females, which leads to fast multiplication. Nymph takes 6 to 22 days to complete four instars and becomes adult.
Management:
Cultural method:
- Paired row system of planting.
- Avoid excessive use of nitrogenous fertilisers.
- Use of organic fertilisers.
- Rapping of canes all along the rows.
- Infested tops should not be transported.
- Infested canes should not be used as seed material for planting.
Biological method:
- Encourage natural predators viz., Diapha aphidivora , Ishchiodon scutellaris, Episyrphus baleatus, Chrysopa sp., Schymnus sp., Cheilomenes sexmaculata, Coccinella septempunctata, Synnonycha grandis, Brumus sp. and Dideopsis aegrota
- Pathogens like Cladosporium oxysporum, Metarhizium anisopliae, Verticillium lecanii and Beauveria bassiana
- Release Encarsia flavoscutellum
Chemical method:
- Dip the seed sets in Chlorpyripos 20 EC solution (2 ml/lit) before planting.
- Apply phorate 10 G @ 5kg / ac or Spray with acephate75 SP 1g / lit Chlorpyriphos 20 EC 2 ml / lit
- Spray Malathion 50 EC 2 ml / lit
- Dimethoate 30 EC 1.7 ml / lit, Oxydemeton methyl 25 EC 1.3 ml / lit, or Dusting with Malathion 5% dust @ 10 kg / ac.
Source-
TamilNadu Agritech Portal.
