Integrated management of sugarcane pests with emphasis on biological control
Introduction
It is estimated that there are more than 1300 species of insects associated with the cultivation of sugar cane as their food source (Box, 1953). However, not all of them are pests of economic importance for the crop; In fact, and depending on regional conditions, only between one and three species present themselves as a serious limitation to production. In this regard, Bustillo (2013) mentions that 23 species of pest insects have been detected in sugar cane plantations in Colombia, and highlights that among them are stem borers. Diatraea spp. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and the spittlebug Aeneolamia varies (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) are the pests of greatest economic importance in the crops of the Cauca River Valley, without ignoring that other insects can, occasionally, cause considerable losses in them, such as the goat worm, Caligo illioneus Butler (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), the crazy ant, Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), and others that potentially become established as pests of economic relevance in sugarcane plantations, such as spittlebug mahanarva bipars (Walker) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae), seed weevils Rynchophorus palmarum (L.) and Metamasius hemipterus (Linnaeus) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae), the winter wren Podischnus agenor (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae), and even the giant borer telchin licus (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Castniidae), which has been reported in other parts of the country and could invade the Cauca River valley region.
In Cenicaña, sugarcane varieties are not selected for their resistance to the pests that attack it, but various alternatives have been investigated and proposed to regulate the populations of these insects, with emphasis on biological control. Priority, among these activities, the various varieties are permanently evaluated with respect to their resistance to attack by Diatraea spp. (Echeverri-Rubiano et al., 2018) and spittlebug (Cuarán et al., 2012), and the response of commercial and promising varieties to the different insects associated with the crop is permanently monitored, to provide timely and effective care. any outbreak that represents significant losses to the sector. In addition, work is being done on a methodology for evaluating damage due to Diatraea under greenhouse conditions in the new varieties, to more precisely characterize their level of resistance to borers and identify resistance factors to these and other pests, which can guide breeders in their crossing processes and search for new varieties ( Echeverri-Rubiano et al., 2019; Echeverri-Rubiano et al., 2017).
The permanent work carried out by the Center to disseminate its findings in this regard, and the constant training of farmers to raise awareness about the importance of carrying out timely sampling and control of the different pests will ensure that these do not threaten the sustainability of the crop. industry in the medium and long term. In that same direction, this chapter contains information on a selected group of crop pests, with emphasis on stem borers and spittlebugs. It also includes relevant information about seed weevils, the crazy ant, defoliators, the winter wren and giant borer. In each case, aspects such as economic importance, monitoring alternatives and control methods are analyzed.
