Journal of Economic Entomology (2020) 113, 538-542

Erik L. Roldán, Julien M. Beuzelin, Matthew T. Vanweelden and Ronald H. Cherry (2020)
The sugarcane borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) infests rice at low population levels in Florida
Journal of Economic Entomology 113 (1), 538-542
Abstract: The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), rice stalk borer, Chilo plejadellus Zincken, and Mexican rice borer, Eoreuma loftini (Dyar), are stem borers (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) that infest rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the southern United States. A 2-yr study was conducted to determine stem borer injury, infestation, and parasitism levels in Florida. Thirty commercial rice fields were selected during the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons throughout the rice production region in southern Florida. Sampling for stem borer injury and infestations was conducted in each field between the milk and early maturation stages by observing plants at 10 locations, with three 1-m² quadrats per location. In addition, monitoring for E. loftini adults was conducted using one pheromone trap adjacent to each field. In 2017, the number of rice tillers exhibiting stem borer injury averaged 0.024 tillers/m² and infestation levels averaged 0.008 stem borers/m², with only D. saccharalis being observed. In 2018, injury and infestation levels averaged 0.062 injured tillers/m² and 0.023 D. saccharalis larvae or pupae/m², respectively. The solitary parasitoid Alabagrus stigma Brullé (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitized 33 and 40% of the collected D. saccharalis in 2017 and 2018, respectively. In addition, pheromone traps did not capture E. loftini adults. This study shows that D. saccharalis infests rice in Florida but at relatively low levels not threatening production and that rice fields are habitats for D. saccharalis parasitoids. This study also suggests that C. plejadellus and E. loftini do not occur in southern Florida.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
damage/losses/economics
surveys/sampling/distribution
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
surveys/distribution/isolation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Eoreuma loftini	Rice (Oryza)	U.S.A. (SE)
	Diatraea saccharalis	Rice (Oryza)	U.S.A. (SE)
Alabagrus stigma (parasitoid)	Diatraea saccharalis	Rice (Oryza)	U.S.A. (SE)