Beaumont Site Visit: Mexican Rice Borer and Sugarcane Borer Sugarcane and Rice Research

Twelve thousand to 16,000 ha of Louisiana sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) Þelds were ßooded by saltwater from the Hurricane Rita storm surge in September 2005. A four treatment, 12-replication study comparing storm surge ßooded and nonßooded plant and ratoon sugarcane Þelds was conducted during summer 2006 to assess sugarcane borer,Diatraea saccharalis (F.), pest severity, pest control actions, and soil-associated arthropod abundance and diversity. Even with a signiÞcant 2.4-fold increase in the average number of insecticide applications used forD. saccharalismanagement inßoodedÞelds, growers still incurredhigher injury.A signiÞcant 2.8-fold reduction in thepredaceous red imported Þre ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, was associated with the storm surge, whereas no reduction in abundance of other soil-associated arthropods was recorded. Arthropod diversity measured by the Shannon diversity index signiÞcantly increased by a factor of 1.3 in sugarcane Þelds ßooded by the storm surge. Increase in D. saccharalis pest severity associated with the storm surge caused an estimated loss in revenue between $1.9 and $2.6million to the Louisiana sugarcane industry for the 2006 production season.