Determining the economic threshold for the sugarcane stalk borer (Diatraea spp.) in the Córdoba-Golfo region, Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract

Objective: Determination of the economic threshold for Diatraea spp. in the Córdoba-Golfo sugarcane region, Veracruz, Mexico.

Design/methodology/approach: During the 2020-2021 cycle, n=21 sampling plots were established; the percentage of damage in sugarcane stems by borer larvae was counted, with which the level of economic damage (NDE) and the economic damage threshold (UE) were calculated by subregions and regions.

Results: The current EU underestimates the impact of the pest because it is based mainly on the percentage of damage and not on the calculated EU. The most affected sub-region was Yanga with a damage percentage of more than 5% average annual damage and an actual EU of 1.36. While the average EU in the Cordoba-Gulf region was calculated at 2.76, which indicates that when Diatraea spp. populations are high, it is time to apply control strategies that allow the regulation of insect populations.

Limitations on study/implications: It is necessary to establish systems for a diagnosis attached to reality to design and apply assertive management strategies that allow the control of borer populations in the field.

Findings/conclusions: A calculated EU appropriate to each subregion of study is proposed, considering updated parameters that contemplate the real losses of the crop per zone (field yield). This will provide the basis for an action plan with effective management that will consequently increase field yield and juice quality.