Sugarcane, a crop with deep historical roots, has blossomed into one of India's agricultural pillars, now commanding over 5.6 million hectares and producing over 400 million tonnes annually, as per recent Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare data. 

This prominence, however, comes with a significant challenge: a relentless onslaught of pests capable of decimating yields and sugar recovery. From borers that tunnel through stalks to sap-sucking insects that debilitate entire fields, these adversaries threaten farmers' livelihoods. 

This blog, drawing on extensive research and practical experience, will meticulously outline robust pest management strategies, empowering you to protect your sugarcane crop effectively and sustainably, ensuring maximum productivity.

TL;DR

• Sugarcane is a vital Indian crop facing significant yield threats from diverse pests.

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is your essential, holistic strategy for sustainable control.

• IPM prioritises resistant varieties, smart cultural practices, and biological agents to reduce pest pressure.

• Regular monitoring guides judicious chemical use, ensuring precise and minimal intervention.

• Pesticides are applied via foliar sprays (including drones), soil treatments, and set dips for targeted efficacy.

• Mastering IPM ensures healthy crops, sustainable yields, and enhanced profitability.

What are the most common pests found in sugarcane crops? 

Sugarcane, a vital cash crop and the backbone of India's sugar industry, is unfortunately highly susceptible to a diverse array of insect pests throughout its entire growth cycle, from planting to harvest. 

These pests pose a persistent and significant threat, leading to substantial yield losses, reduced sugar recovery, and diminished juice quality, ultimately impacting the economic viability of sugarcane cultivation for farmers.

Here are some of the most commonly found pests in a sugarcane crop:

1. Borers 

Borers are the larval (caterpillar) stage of moths that tunnel into various parts of the sugarcane plant. This tunnelling causes significant physical damage, disrupts nutrient and water transport, and can lead to secondary infections, ultimately impacting yield and sugar recovery.

Key Borer Species Affecting Sugarcane:

• Early Shoot Borer ( Chilo infuscatellus): Attacks young plants, causing "dead hearts" (central shoot dries up).

• Internode Borer (Chilo sacchariphagus indicus): Infests internodes, leading to shortened internodes, reduced juice quality, and lodging.

• Top Borer (Scirpophaga nivella): Affects the growing point of the plant, causing shot holes in leaves and "bunchy" tops.

• Root Borer (Emmalocera depressella): Damages roots, resulting in stunted growth and uneven stands.

• Stalk Borer (Chilo auricilius): Damages millable tillers, decreasing tonnage, and deteriorating juice quality.

2. Sucking Pests:

Sucking pests use their piercing-sucking mouthparts to draw sap from various parts of the sugarcane plant – leaves, stems, and sometimes even the sheaths. This continuous removal of plant sap weakens the plant, reduces its vigour, and impairs its physiological processes. 

Many sucking pests also excrete a sugary substance called "honeydew," which promotes the growth of black sooty mold on the plant surfaces, further reducing photosynthetic efficiency.

Key Sucking Pests Species Affecting Sugarcane:

• Sugarcane Woolly Aphid (Ceratovacuna lanigera): Causes yellowing and drying of leaves, and promotes sooty mould growth.

• Whitefly (Aleurolobus barodensis): Leads to yellowing of leaves and sooty mould.

• Mealybug (Saccharicoccus sacchari): Feeds on sap, stunting cane growth and causing sooty mould.

• Scale Insect (Melanaspis glomerata): Forms encrustations on the cane, weakening it and affecting juice quality.

• Pyrilla (Pyrilla perpusilla): Causes yellowing of leaves and honeydew secretion, leading to sooty mould.

3. Subterranean Pests:

These pests reside in the soil and feed on the underground parts of the sugarcane plant, including setts (planted cane pieces), roots, and the basal portions of the stalks. Their hidden nature makes scouting difficult, and often, damage is only observed when the plant begins to show above-ground symptoms like wilting, yellowing, or stunted growth.

Key Subterranean Pest Species Affecting Sugarcane:

• Termites (Odontotermes obesus): Damage setts in at planting, creating gaps, and can hollow out internodes in mature canes.

• White Grubs (Holotrichia consanguinea): Larvae feed on roots, causing wilting and death of plants.

4. Nematodes

Nematodes are unsegmented roundworms, many of which are parasitic to plants. In sugarcane, they primarily feed on the roots, disrupting the plant's ability to absorb water and nutrients. This damage often goes unnoticed in the early stages, as above-ground symptoms can be non-specific, resembling nutrient deficiencies or water stress.

Key Nematode Species Affecting Sugarcane:

• Root-knot Nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.): These are arguably the most common and damaging. They induce characteristic swellings or "galls" on the roots. These galls disrupt the vascular tissues, impeding water and nutrient uptake. Infected plants often show stunted growth, yellowing leaves (chlorosis), and reduced tiller production.

• Lesion Nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.): These nematodes enter and migrate within the root cortex, creating lesions or necrotic spots. Severe infestations can lead to extensive root decay, poor root development, and increased susceptibility to other root pathogens.

• Lance Nematodes (Hoplolaimus spp.): These are migratory ectoparasites or semi-endoparasites, meaning they feed on the outside of the roots or partially penetrate them. They cause root necrosis, browning, and reduced root mass.

• Reniform Nematodes (Rotylenchulus reniformis): These are semi-endoparasites, with the anterior portion of their body embedded in the root while the posterior portion remains outside. They cause cell necrosis and can lead to poor root development and general decline.

• Stunt Nematodes (Tylenchorhynchus spp.): These ectoparasites feed on root tips and along the root surface, causing root tip necrosis and reduced root elongation, leading to a stunted root system.

Also Read: The Role of Drones to Detect Pests for Agriculture in India 

What is Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?

IPM is a comprehensive approach that integrates all suitable pest management techniques in a compatible manner. Your goal is to maintain pest populations below economically damaging levels while minimising risks to human health, beneficial organisms, and the environment.

Here's how each critical component of IPM works synergistically:

1. Harness Pest-Resistant Varieties

You begin your pest management journey even before planting by choosing the right seed. Planting pest-resistant or tolerant sugarcane varieties provides an inherent defence mechanism against specific threats.

• Proactive defence: Selecting varieties like Co 975 or Co 7304 significantly lowers the impact of the Internode Borer.

• Targeted Resilience: Varieties such as CoVC 2003 165 or CoSnk 05104 offer a degree of resistance to the devastating Sugarcane Woolly Aphid prevalent in India.

This proactive measure significantly reduces the crop's natural susceptibility, minimising initial infestations and subsequently lowering your reliance on other interventions down the line. You empower your crop with built-in resilience, setting the stage for a healthier growing season.

2. Implement Smart Cultural Control practices

Your everyday farming practices hold immense power in pest management. Cultural control practices involve strategically manipulating the crop's environment and growing conditions to make them less hospitable for pests and more favourable for robust sugarcane growth.

• Optimised Planting: Adjust optimal planting time to avoid peak pest activity periods, reducing early-stage vulnerability.

• Crop Diversification: Implement intercropping with non-host crops like soybean or blackgram to disrupt pest life cycles.

• Soil Preparation: Conduct deep summer ploughing, especially in areas prone to white grubs or termites, to expose and destroy their soil-borne stages.

These thoughtful adjustments disrupt pest life cycles and reduce their ability to establish destructive populations.

3. Prioritise Regular Monitoring and Early Detection

You can't manage what you don't measure. Regular monitoring and early detection serve as your intelligence-gathering system in the field.

• Consistent Scouting: Consistently scout your crop for crucial insights into pest types, population levels, and damage extent.

• Early Symptom Identification: For borers, this means identifying "dead hearts" or "shot holes" early. For sucking pests, inspect the undersides of leaves for woolly aphid colonies or whitefly nymphs.

• Trap Utilisation: Employ pheromone traps to monitor male borer moth populations, indicating when to anticipate larval damage.

This vital information allows you to make informed, timely decisions. You avoid unnecessary interventions, saving resources and ensuring that any action you take is precisely when and where it's needed.

4. Unleash Biological Control Agents

Nature provides powerful allies in your fight against pests. Biological control agents involve strategically utilising the natural enemies of sugarcane pests – think predators, parasites, and disease-causing pathogens.

• Borer Control: Release Trichogramma chilonis egg parasitoids (e.g., 50,000 cards/ha at 10-day intervals) to target borer eggs before they hatch.

• Aphid Suppression: Against the devastating Sugarcane Woolly Aphid, conservation or release of its specific predator, the syrphid fly Dipha aphidivora, is highly effective.

• Mealybug Management: For mealybugs, the ladybird beetle Cryptolaemus montrouzieri proves invaluable.

• Soil Pest Biocontrol: Apply entomopathogenic fungi like Metarhizium anisopliae to the soil for white grubs.

You harness nature's mechanisms to keep pest populations in check, offering sustainable, long-term pest suppression with minimal environmental footprint.

5. Practice Judicious Chemical Use

Chemicals are a tool, not the entire toolbox. In IPM, judicious chemical use means you employ pesticides only when necessary, when pest populations threaten to cross economic damage thresholds.

• Targeted Application: For severe borer infestations, apply a systemic insecticide like chlorantraniliprole 18.5% SC as a targeted spray, avoiding prophylactic blanket applications.

• Preventative Sett Treatment: For soil pests like termites at planting, a sett dip with chlorpyriphos 20 EC is a precise intervention.

You select the most targeted and least harmful products, applying them at precise doses and optimal timings. This minimises negative impacts on beneficial insects, protects the environment, and prevents the development of pesticide resistance, ensuring chemicals remain effective when truly needed.

6. Employ Physical and Mechanical Controls

Sometimes, direct intervention is the best course of action. Physical and mechanical controls are hands-on, non-chemical methods designed to remove or kill pests directly.

• Borer Removal: For early shoot borer, manually remove and destroy "dead hearts" from infested shoots to prevent larval development.

• Adult Pest Trapping: For white grubs, set up light traps during the adult beetle emergence period to significantly reduce the next generation.

• Sucking Pest Monitoring/Trapping: Utilise yellow sticky traps to monitor and trap adult whiteflies and pyrilla.

These methods are often highly effective for specific pest problems or in localised areas, offering immediate relief without leaving any environmental residue.

7. Focus on Soil and Nematode Management

Healthy crops begin with healthy soil. Effective soil and nematode management is critical because many destructive pests, like various nematode species, white grubs, and termites, reside underground.

• Soil Amendments: Enrich your soil with well-decomposed farmyard manure or neem cake to enhance microbial activity that suppresses nematodes and repels termites.

• Biocontrol Application: For severe white grub issues, drench the soil with Metarhizium anisopliae.

• Targeted Chemical Intervention: As a targeted last resort, apply granular insecticides like fipronil 0.3% G during planting for soil pest control.

You cultivate a soil environment that naturally suppresses subterranean threats, fostering robust root development.

8. Master Proper Fertiliser and Water Management

A strong plant is your first line of defence. Proper Fertiliser and water management are fundamental IPM components because they directly influence your crop's health and resilience.

• Balanced Nutrition: Provide balanced nutrition, avoiding excessive nitrogen that can promote lush, attractive growth for sucking pests like aphids.

• Optimal Irrigation: Ensure optimal irrigation to prevent drought stress, which can weaken plants and make them more vulnerable to termite attacks.

A vigorous, well-nourished sugarcane plant is naturally less attractive to pests and far better equipped to withstand and recover from any pest-induced damage, making it inherently more resistant.

9. Implement Field Hygiene and Post-Harvest Management

The battle doesn't end at harvest; it continues with field hygiene and post-harvest management. These practices are crucial for breaking pest life cycles and preventing future infestations.

• Detrashing: Meticulously detrash your sugarcane fields at optimal intervals (e.g., 150 and 210 days after planting) to remove hiding places for scale insects, mealybugs, and borer pupae.

• Residue Removal: After harvest, collect and destroy all borer-infested stubble and crop residues to eliminate overwintering pest stages.

This eliminates overwintering sites, denies pests food sources, and significantly reduces the initial pest pressure you will face in subsequent cropping seasons, setting you up for success.

Also Read: Micronutrients for Effective Crop Production

How are Pesticides Sprayed on Sugarcane Crop in India?

While your IPM strategy emphasises minimising chemical reliance, there will be instances where judicious pesticide application becomes a necessary tool for effective pest control.

When that moment arrives, understanding the various application methods used across India becomes critical for maximising efficacy and minimising risk. 

Here are the primary methods for applying pesticides to sugarcane in India:

1. Foliar Spraying

Foliar spraying is the most common method for controlling pests that feed on the leaves or exposed parts of the plant, primarily sucking pests and some borers in their exposed stages.

Equipment Used:

• Hand-Operated Sprayers: You frequently see knapsack sprayers (carried on the back) and foot-operated sprayers (requiring manual pumping) in smaller fields or for spot applications. They offer good control over the application but are labour-intensive.

• Tractor-Mounted Sprayers: For larger sugarcane areas, tractor-mounted boom sprayers provide faster and more uniform coverage. These are particularly useful for broad-acreage applications.

• Drone Spraying: A rapidly emerging and highly efficient technology that is revolutionising agriculture practises. Drones equipped with spray nozzles are revolutionising pesticide application, especially for tall and dense crops like sugarcane. They offer rapid application, significantly reduce labour requirements, ensure precise targeting, and minimise human exposure to chemicals. This method allows for quick response over large areas, even in challenging terrain.

Target Pests: Highly effective against pests like Sugarcane Woolly Aphid, Whitefly, Pyrilla, and in some cases, early-stage borer larvae before they bore deep into the stalk.

Key Considerations: You must ensure thorough coverage, especially on the undersurface of leaves where many sucking pests reside. Apply during calm weather, ideally in the early morning or late evening, to minimise drift and maximise absorption.

Also Read: How to spray pesticides safely on crops?

2. Soil Application

This method targets pests that live within the soil or attack the underground parts of the sugarcane plant.

Application Methods:

• Granular Application: You typically apply granular pesticides (e.g., Fipronil granules) directly into the furrow at the time of planting. You might also side-dress them near the plant base for existing crops. This provides a systemic uptake or direct contact action as pests move through the soil.

• Drenching: This involves applying a liquid pesticide solution directly to the soil around the base of the plant or into the furrows after planting. Water carries the active ingredient into the root zone.

Target Pests: Crucial for managing termites, white grubs, wireworms, and the early shoot borer, which attacks from the soil line.

Key Considerations: Proper incorporation into the soil is vital for efficacy and to reduce environmental exposure. Ensure adequate soil moisture is present or provide light irrigation after application to help the chemical disperse and become available to the pests.

3. Sett Treatment (Seed Treatment)

This is a critical preventative measure, applying pesticides directly to the sugarcane seed pieces (setts) before planting.

Application Methods:

• Dipping: You commonly dip the entire sugarcane setts into an insecticidal solution (e.g., chlorpyriphos, imidacloprid) for a specific duration. This ensures uniform coating.

• Spraying: Alternatively, you can spray the setts thoroughly as they are laid in the furrow, just before they are covered with soil.

Target Pests: Provides crucial early-season protection against termites, early shoot borers, and also helps control any scale insects or mealybugs that might be present on the seed material itself.

Key Considerations: Always follow the recommended soaking time or spray volume for uniform coverage. Allow setts to air dry briefly if dipping to prevent immediate wash-off and ensure safety during handling.

Best Practices for Pesticide Application:

Regardless of the method, your commitment to safety and precision is paramount.

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Always wear appropriate PPE – gloves, mask, eye protection, and protective clothing – to safeguard your health.

• Calibration: Regularly calibrate your sprayers and applicators to ensure you apply the precise dosage, avoiding both under-dosing (ineffective) and over-dosing (wasteful and harmful).

• Timing is Everything: Apply pesticides based on your monitoring results and the established Economic Threshold Levels (ETLs). Avoid calendar-based spraying unless recommended explicitly for a preventative measure.

• Resistance Management: To prevent pests from developing resistance, rotate insecticides with different modes of action.

• Environmental Stewardship: Be mindful of wind direction and speed to prevent drift, and avoid application near water bodies to protect aquatic life. Proper disposal of empty containers is also your responsibility.

Enhancing Your Application Precision with Leher

In your pursuit of efficient and sustainable sugarcane cultivation, embracing cutting-edge technology can provide a significant advantage, especially when it comes to precise pesticide application.

This is where platforms like Leher are revolutionising farming practices in India, making advanced drone technology accessible directly to your fields.

Leher offers a comprehensive platform designed to empower Indian farmers through state-of-the-art drone spraying services:

• Accessible Technology: Leher makes sophisticated drone spraying readily available, breaking down barriers to adopting modern agricultural techniques.

• Precision and Efficiency: Leveraging advanced sensors and GPS, Leher's drones ensure precise and uniform application of pesticides and Fertilisers, minimising waste and maximising effectiveness across your fields.

• Significant Savings: Farmers typically experience up to 30% reduction in pesticide usage and up to 90% in water consumption through targeted spraying, leading to substantial cost savings.

• Enhanced Productivity & Safety: Drones can spray up to 50 acres per day, offering an 8x increase in productivity compared to traditional methods, while eliminating human exposure to chemicals for safer operations.

• Sustainable Farming: By ensuring precise application and reduced input use, Leher's services actively contribute to minimising environmental runoff and soil degradation, promoting healthier ecosystems.

• Simple Booking Process: You can easily book drone spraying services through the intuitive Leher App—simply book, let the certified drone pilot spray, and pay once the service is complete.

Conclusion

You now possess the comprehensive framework for safeguarding your sugarcane crop. We've established that effective pest control isn't just a reaction; it's a strategic, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach. 

By embracing pest-resistant varieties, smart cultural practices, vigilant monitoring, and the strategic deployment of biological controls, you build resilience.

When needed, judicious chemical use, precise application methods like drone spraying, and unwavering field hygiene complete your protective shield. 

Implement these proven strategies with confidence. You ensure sustainable yields, bolster your profitability, and champion environmental stewardship, strengthening India's agricultural future.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

Q1: Is implementing IPM significantly more expensive than just relying on conventional chemical sprays? 

A: While initial investments in monitoring tools or beneficial insect releases might occur, IPM generally reduces long-term costs by minimising repetitive pesticide expenses, preventing pest resistance development, and ensuring more consistent, higher yields. It's an investment in sustainable profitability rather than a recurring input cost.

Q2: How quickly can I expect to see results after fully implementing an IPM program for my sugarcane? 

A: IPM offers both immediate impact and long-term sustainability. You'll see quicker results from targeted actions like dead heart removal or precise chemical applications. However, the full benefits of establishing a balanced ecosystem and significantly reducing overall pest pressure typically become evident over several cropping seasons, ensuring enduring crop health and productivity.

Q3: Where can I get specific IPM recommendations tailored to my local region?

A3: For highly localised and precise advice, always consult your nearest State Agricultural University (SAU), a Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), or the regional centres of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) specialising in sugarcane. They provide the most accurate variety recommendations, pest forecasts, and application guidance for your specific agro-climatic zone.

Q4: Is IPM the same as organic farming, or can I still use some chemicals in an IPM approach? 

A: IPM is distinct from strict organic farming. While it heavily prioritises non-chemical methods and biological controls, IPM does allow for the judicious, targeted use of specific, carefully selected chemicals as a last resort. The focus is on reducing overall chemical reliance and impact, not on complete elimination, making it a flexible and practical strategy.

Q5: What should I do if I encounter a sugarcane pest not explicitly mentioned in this comprehensive guide? 

A: The core IPM principles still apply. First, meticulously monitor the affected areas and try to identify the pest by its symptoms and appearance. Then, promptly consult local agricultural extension services, KVKs, or entomology experts. They can provide precise identification and recommend appropriate management strategies, always prioritising the least impactful methods first.

Q: Do pest management strategies need to differ significantly for ratoon sugarcane crops compared to new plantings? 

A: Yes, ratoon crops often face unique challenges. They can experience higher initial pest pressure from borers or soil pests that overwinter in stubble from the previous crop. Therefore, meticulous stubble management, thorough field sanitation, and intensified early monitoring for these carry-over pests become even more critical for successfully managing your ratoon crop.