UPDATES

Published by the SRA-La Granja Agricultural Research and Extension Center La Granja, La Carlota City Negros Occidental, Philippines ? 0973-222-810
Vol. 2 No. 4 August 1998

SRA-LGAREC

GRASSHOPPERS IN SUGARCANE AND THEIR CONTROL

Grasshoppers are adapted to grasslands and fields with a wide array of grasses. They are localized in dry season. The most common grasshopper in sugarcane is the Green Grasshopper or Tibakla, Gastrimargus marmoratus (Thunberg) and Oxya sp. The Green grasshopper is the biggest species among the grasshoppers in Negros. The adult Oxya sp. is the smallest with bright green stripe running from the head along the back. A black stripe runs along each side of the body. They feed on nearly all kinds of vegetation and, when numerous in the canefields with young canes, may result in a serious setback on the growth of the plants. The life cycle of the green grasshopper is from 25 to 30 days. Grasshopper species that migrate in swarms are called locust, Locusta migratoria manilensis (Mayen). The change into migratory is influenced by prolonged dry spell. At the onset of rain, breeding takes place almost immediately in areas where adults converge in transition phase to gregarious phase. The adult migratory locust has a striking pattern of black with saddle-shaped pronotum, capable of laying 100-300 eggs in a life time of several months. The egg pods are deposited in the soil or behind the leafsheaths of the plants in grasslands. The life cycle of the locust is completed in 45 to 133 days.

?? Cultural Practices

(Hexamermis sp.) and fungi like Metarhizium anisopliae . ? ? use of botanical pesticides like neem and kakawate at 1 gram macerated leaves per 2 ml of water. ? ? Locust and grasshoppers as food. ? ? Use of predators like bullfrogs and birds.

? ? Keep fields weed-free and cultivate abandoned areas. ? ? In fields where grasshopper eggs are laid, off-barring operation should be practiced to expose the egg pods to elements and predators. ? ? Application of insecticides like: ? ? Cymbush - 4-5 tbsp. ? ? Karate - 3-4 tbsp. ? ? Ascend - 3-4 tbsp. ? ? Baythroid - 3-4 tbsp. ? ? Predator - 4-5 tbsp. ? ? Tamaron - 4-5 tbsp. The insecticide should be in direct contact with the pest. Spraying should be done in the late afternoon when nymphs and adult grasshoppers are feeding on grasses or plants. Avoid spraying in the morning when they are mobile or flying. ? ? Spreading of baits on the ground among swarms of nymphs. Locusts are attracted to salty rice bran. Bait formulation and preparation: 16 sacks of rice bran with a solution of one kg. Sevin 85 and 4 kg salt dissolved in 80 liters of water. Moisten rice bran with salt and water then add insecticide. /glr By: MELANIE C. ALBA, Ph.D. Manager I, Crop Protection Dept.

?? Chemical Control

Sign of Infestation:
Adult and nymph grasshoppers feed on leaves from the margins of the leaf blades creating cutout areas. The swarming locusts strip plants of their leaves including the midrib leaving only the bases of the plants.

Control Measures: ?? Biological Control

? ? Scelionid parasitic wasp Macrotoleia indica (Sharma) and Scelio sp. can locate grasshopper eggs in the soil or in the plants. Nymphs and adults are killed by parasitic flies (Paratheresia sp.), nematodes