Battle Against Sugarcane Mealybug: Comprehensive Management Strategies For Farmers

Small insect Saccharicoccus sacchari, sometimes known as the sugarcane mealybug, poses a serious threat to sugarcane crops globally. 🌍 They are pinkish oval-shaped insects found under leaf sheaths, feeding on sap, causing stunted growth and yield reduction. Infestations lead to significant financial losses for farmers. 🌿 This article covers sugarcane mealybug symptoms and management strategies. 📜 Cultivation of resistant sugarcane types, timely destruction of crops, proper drying of fields, and controlled use of nitrogen-based fertilizers are key cultural measures. 🌱 Additionally, employing bio-control agents like Verticillium lecanii and neem-based insecticides contributes to effective control. 🦗🍂

Type of Infestation

Mealybugs that feed on the sap of sugarcane plants are known as sap feeders.   

Scientific Name: Saccharicoccus sacchari  

Most Affected States

In India, sugarcane mealybugs are common and are known to harm sugarcane crops in a number of states, including Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Uttar Pradesh.   

Symptoms of Sugarcane Mealybug

• The appearance of pinkish, oval-shaped insects with a whitish mealy coating under the leaf sheath at the nodes is an easy way to spot sugarcane mealybug infestation 🕵️‍♂️ symptoms.
• They cause the plant's leaves to yellow by sucking the sap from them. ☀️
• The honeydew fluid that sugarcane mealybugs emit draws in other pests and may encourage the development of sooty mould on the canes. 🍯🦠
• Additionally, they target the roots, which results in the main cane being stunted 🌱🚫

Control Measures

To effectively manage mealybug infestation in sugarcane crops, a combination of various control techniques is frequently necessary. The following are a few of the IPM techniques that are frequently used to control sugarcane mealybugs: 

Cultural Measures

• cultivate resistant sugarcane types including CO 439, CO 443, CO 720, CO 730, and CO 7704.  
• the crop of sugarcane should be destroyed between 150 and 210 days following planting. 
• The sugarcane field should be dried out. 
• Use of nitrogen-based fertilizers in excess should be avoided. 

Biological Measures

• To control mealybug populations, support bio-control agents. 🌿
• Verticillium lecanii, a naturally occurring entomopathogenic fungus, is found in Amruth Alestra Liquid (Bio Insecticide), and when it comes into touch with the mealybugs' cuticle, it colonizes them. 2ml per liter of water is the suggested dosage. 🍄💧
• When used at the rate of 1-2ml per liter of water with a 15-day gap between each spray, Greenpeace Neemol Bio Neem Oil Insecticide, which is based on azadirachtin, may successfully control mealybugs in sugarcane fields. 🌱🌼
• Natural plant components found in Kaybee Mealy Raze Bio Pesticide disrupt the mealybugs' internal nervous system, causing paralysis and death when sprayed. A dose of 1-2ml per liter of water is advised. 🌿🪰💀

Chemical Measures

Some of the commercial chemicals that can be used to control sugarcane mealybugs are mentioned below,