Sugarcane Borer Control (SCB), Small Plot Insecticide Screening Test, 1982

A portion of a block of first stubble sugarcane located on the St. Gabriel Experiment Station, near Baton Rouge, LA, was divided into plots each containing 3 rows spaced 6 ft apart x 24.2 ft (0.01 acre). Insecticide treatments for a season-long control of SCB were assigned to plots according to a randomized complete block design consisting of 5 replications. Each spray concentrate was applied to the sugarcane plant canopy in water at 30 psi with a knapsack sprayer that delivered 25 gal finished formulation per acre per application. Insecticide applications were begun after internodes first were visible above ground and when at least 5% of the stalks contained small SCB larvae in leaf sheaths. Three applications were made (Jul 5, 26, Aug 19) at 3-4 wk intervals. At harvest, 25 stalks selected at random from the center row of each plot were examined for external signs of SCB entrance and exit holes. Insecticide efficacy was determined by comparing the % internodes bored in treated plots with that found in untreated plots.