Sugarcane Borers Cause Lower Yields

Louisiana sugarcane crop has had to withstand a wet spring and a cold winter. Now there's a pest that's literally drilling into the yields of Louisiana's sugarcane farmers. Toby Blanchard shows us how researchers are working to help farmers manage problems their crop may encounter. During hot, dry days of summer, you can almost sit and watch sugarcane grow. The crop, which experienced about a year's worth of rain in the first six months of 2015, is bouncing back from bad weather. According to LSU AgCenter sugarcane specialists, Kenneth Gravois. We're in what we call the grand growth phase. So with these hot, hot nights, hot days, our crop is growing about an inch per day. That's a lot of growth on a crop. The disease rust hasn't been much of an issue on this year's crop, thanks to the cold winter. But freezing temperatures didn't kill off the number one pest in sugarcane, the sugarcane borer. Entomologist Julian Buzeland said all growers should be on the lookout for the insect, and growers in the southwest should watch for its relative, the Mexican rice borer. You can use the pheromone traps to have an idea of the population dynamics, which may help better time insecticide applications. The entomologist is testing electronic traps that can record the number of insects that come into the trap and transmit the data. Growers would be able to track the trap catches from their computers. Growers who have an issue with borers can choose varieties that are less susceptible to the pest. Sugarcane breeder Michael Pontiff said the variety H-O-C-P-O-O-9-50 is the most vulnerable to the insect. Being the sweetest variety, the sugarcane borers tend to find it has a softer rind or softer stalk, so they have an easier time to bore into it. Sugarcane growers also need to be aware of a new weed, the eastern black nightshade, which is showing up in fields. For This Week in Louisiana Agriculture, this is Toby Blanchard with the LSU AgCenter. Louisiana has about 420,000 acres of sugarcane. That is up slightly from last year. Now, later on in his bottom line report, Twyla's Neil Melanson will tell us about how Louisiana sugarcane farmers are facing some of the lowest prices they've seen in a decade. Kristen? This makes me think what goes up must come down because it seems like low prices are the theme this year for the crops. Seems to be. Well, still to come on Twyla, we have a happier note. We'll go out to the farmers market with Taylor Frye for this week's Ag Minute. But first, where does the farm come straight to your table? In New Orleans, of course, we'll tell you about a conference going on right now. Stay with us.