No. 10 March
| The sugar cane spit, mahanarva bipars, is an insect that was found in 2002 in the department of Risaralda affecting sugarcane planted for the production of panela. This was the first time that the species was recorded feeding on sugarcane and constitutes the first report of a spittlebug on this crop in the Colombian Andean region. It is not known exactly when the insect began to adapt to sugar cane at this site, nor the losses it may cause in panela production. In general, spittlebugs are characterized by the fact that their immature stages are covered with a saliva-like substance, which gives them their common name. Adults and nymphs of the spittlebug feed on the sugarcane by sucking the sap from the leaves; the affected portions turn yellowish and the tissues end up drying out, giving rise to the formation of elongated yellow or brown spots. |
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