Survey and surveillance of sugarcane insect pests under Terai zone of Northern West Bengal

Abstract

Surveys and surveillance were conducted in sugarcane fields both in plant and ratoon crops distributed over certain villages Under the Terai zone of northern West Bengal during two consecutive years 2017-18 and 2018-19 with an objective to gather information of insect pests in this area towards developing survey schedule for the farmers to recommend control measures and to determine the spatial and temporal pattern and intensity of different sugarcane pests in northern West Bengal. Among the various insect and non-insect pests, early shoot borer, root borer, stem borer, woolly aphid and derbid plant hopper can be considered as major pests, while pyrilla, yellow mite, and grasshoppers as minor pests. The surveys and surveillance were conducted in the months of March to June for early shoot borer and root borer, in March to October for top borer; in July to February for stem borer, pyrilla, wooly aphid, grass hopper and mite. The results revealed that the maximum incidence of shoot, root, top and stem borer were recorded as 9.5, 6.75, 12.25 and 9%, respectively. While, incidence of sucking pests: pyrilla, derbid plant hopper, woolly aphid and mite were recorded as 0.92 per leaf, 4.2 per plant, 7.17 per leaf and 11.25%, respectively. However the maximum incidence i.e., 9.75% of grasshopper was recorded during crop season 2017-18. Similar trend was also observed during 2018-19.