Resistance of sugarcane cultivars to Diatraea saccharalis

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the oviposition preference of Diatraea saccharalis and the effect of ten sugarcane cultivars on larval development. Oviposition preference was assessed under greenhouse conditions by three releases of couples of moths, with subsequent counting of egg masses and eggs per plant. In order to evaluate the effect of the cultivars on larval development, each plant was infected with about 150 eggs, and, 29 days later, the total number of internodes, number of bored internodes, number of life forms found, larval and pupal weight and length, and the width of larval head capsule were evaluated. The cultivars IACSP94-2101 and IACSP96-2042, the least preferred by D. saccharalis for oviposition, and IACSP94-2094, the most unfavorable for larvae entrance and development, show resistance to the pest.