SUGARCANE PYRILLA MANAGEMENT WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO BIOLOGICAL-CONTROL

Pyrilla serpusilla (Walker) feeding on the plant sap is a serious pest of sugar cane during early and late months of the season in north and peninsular India respectively. It is attacked by over 21 species of natural enemis including Epiricania melanoleuca (Fletcher), which in recent years, has shown great promise in checking the pest populations. Following the success stories of controlling the pyrilla epidemics in north, the process of use of this parasite since 1976 has gone a great deal of transfromation from its transference in the cocoon to egg and cocoon releases and now transfer of eggs of known ages in glass tubes to parasitise the 4th/5th instar nymphs and or adult female. Pyrilla/Epiricania model developed during 1986 has been field tested and found to be a promising tool in the Management of this sap sucking pest.