HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF SPITTLEBUG (Aeneolamia spp.) EGGS ON SUGAR CANE (Saccharum spp.) IN THE CENTRAL REGION OF VERACRUZ

Abstract

The spittlebug (Aeneolamia spp.) has become an endemic plague in recent years, damaging sugar cane (Saccharum spp.) fields in the central region of Veracruz, México, where the losses are quite significant and various control strategies have been used. A preventive measure has been the control of hibernating eggs during the dry season, through the use of mechanized tasks based on phytosanitary rakes, whose incorporation is justified in areas of high incidence of eggs, or where the economic threshold of the damage is found. Three agro-climate zones in the area of influence of the Central Motzorongo sugar plant were studied, and in each zone one site, cycle and variety were selected, which showed a high egg infestation, to evaluate three raking distances, from the center of the stump to the mid-furrow (0-15 cm, 15-30 cm, 30-45 cm) and five depths (1,2,3,4,5 cm), and the egg extraction was done previously through the soil sampling technique with a metallic frame of 15X15X5. It was determined that there was no significant difference in terms of percentages of concentration of eggs between the distances evaluated; however, between depths, in all sampling zones, it was found that the highest average concentration is located in the first 3 cm of depth (90.39 %) as preventive control of the plague.