Assessing resistance of sugarcane varieties to sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis Fab. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Abstract

In this study, we investigated resistance traits to the sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis Fab. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in the leaves and stalks of six sugarcane cultivars in a series of greenhouse and laboratory assays. Investigation of plant factors and infestation rates to better discriminate stalk damage by the sugarcane borer indicated that infestation of 7-month-old, single plants with 20 larvae at the third or fourth instar per plant was suitable to assess tunneling length. Three cultivars (i.e. SP803280, RB928064, and RB835486) had lower stalk damage (i.e. tunnel length) than cultivar SP891115, which exhibited relatively greater susceptibility to tunneling by the borer. The time required for the larvae to enter the sugarcane stalk was longer for cultivar SP803280, indicating resistance traits on the stalk surface, which correlated with lower stalk damage. Larvae feeding on SP813250 stalks had the lowest weight gain, indicating that this cultivar has resistance traits to larval development within its stalks. Cultivars RB867515 and SP891115 resulted in the highest mortality of early-stage larvae feeding on leaves, indicating the presence of resistance factors in their leaves. Multi-trait cluster and principal component analyses placed the cultivars into three and four clusters, respectively. The cultivars placed in different groups that exhibited resistance to leaf feeding, stalk entrance, and tunneling by the sugarcane borer could be used for crossings in sugarcane breeding programs with the goal of obtaining higher levels of resistance to D. saccharalis.

Cachaça production from sugarcane infested by Diatrea saccharalis

“…Ot is interesting because it demonstrated that the choice of varieties is important to obtained a sanity field. These results is already determined by Tomaz et al (2018), that observed differences in the behavior of sugarcane varieties during the sugarcane infestation. The RS were not influenced by borer.…”

The Fate of Sugarcane Shoot Borer Scirpophaga excerptalis Natural Infestation on Sugarcane Varieties: The Role of Predatory Ants

“…Screening for the resistance of cultivars to sugarcane borers are typically conducted in the laboratory using an assay technique (Tomaz et al, 2018) or by correlating the physical and chemical features of plants with the preference of borers (Sushil et al, 2020). According to the variety description document used in this study, PS 862, PS 864, Cening, and PSDK were resistant to top borer, while BL was susceptible (Decree of the Minister of Agriculture No.…”

“…Testing for the resistance of sugarcane lines to borers usually were done by evaluating anti-xenoxis and plant antibiosis factors against the bores by laboratory assays (Tomaz et al, 2018;Sushil et al, 2020). Sanghera and Kumar (2018) differentiated between direct and constitutive eld resistance by correlating plant morphological characteristics with the capacity of borers to penetrate and cause damage; and naturally occurring plant properties that induced the resistance, respectively.…”

Varied frequencies of resistance alleles to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac among Brazilian populations of the sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.)

“…[6][7][8][9][10] Management of D. saccharalis primarily has relied on an adoption of resistant varieties, application of chemical insecticides, and biological control with the use of the larval parasitoid Cotesia flavipes (Cameron) and egg parasitoid Trichogramma galloi Zucchi. [11][12][13] It is well-known that insecticide applications in sugarcane fields are difficult and costly, and may affect the natural enemy's performance as a consequence of their low selectivity. 14,15 Recently, an eco-friendly tool has been added to sugarcane pest management programs focused on the control of D. saccharalis the genetically modified sugarcane expressing crystalline (Cry) insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Berliner.…”

“…Management of D. saccharalis primarily has relied on an adoption of resistant varieties, application of chemical insecticides, and biological control with the use of the larval parasitoid Cotesia flavipes (Cameron) and egg parasitoid Trichogramma galloi Zucchi 11–13 . It is well‐known that insecticide applications in sugarcane fields are difficult and costly, and may affect the natural enemy's performance as a consequence of their low selectivity 14,15 .…”