Pest, disease and weed management

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://elibrary2.sugarresearch.com.au/handle/11079/13843

Research outcomes: A comprehensive RD&E program that addresses existing and emerging pests, diseases and weeds, allowing sugarcane growers to manage their crops efficiently with minimal environmental impacts. An enhanced industry capacity to deal with incursions of exotic pests, diseases and weeds.

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1991 - 199912000 - 20022

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Has files: YesSubject: search.filters.subject.Metarhizium

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    A metarhizium-based product for control of cane pests : SRDC final report BSS134
    (BSES, 2000) Samson, PR; Robertson, LN; Milner, RJ; Bullard, GK
    The fungus Metarhizium anisopliae is a naturally occurring pathogen of soil insects in Australia. Metarhizium can be used as a bioinsecticide for control of canegrubs by mass-producing spores on rice and applying the resulting product into canefields. Numbers of greyback canegrub in plant cane have been consistently reduced by more than 50% when spores of isolate FI-1045 together with the rice medium have been applied at 33 kg/ha. About 18 t of this product were applied in semi-commercial trials in 1997-1999. The product was registered as BioCane™ Granules in March 2000. FI-1045 has also given some control of southern one-year canegrub. Another isolate, FI-147, significantly reduced numbers of negatoria canegrub the year after application into sugarcane ratoons, and increased cane yield. The same isolate was equally effective against French's canegrub in laboratory bioassays, and field trials are in progress against this pest. Trials have been less successful against Childers canegrub, and more effective isolates must be identified for this species. Trial results have been very poor against soldier fly; none of the isolates tested in bioassays was very virulent, and no further work is planned.
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    Expanded registration for Metarhizium strains against canegrubs : SRDC final project report BSS246
    (BSES, 2002) Samson, P; Milner, J; Bullard, G
    Eight fungicides and three liquid insecticides are registered in Queensland for application to sugarcane at planting, and these may come into contact with Metarhizium during application from cane planters. Seven of the chemicals were tested for deleterious effects on two Metarhizium isolates, FI-147 and FI-1045 (BioCane?), in laboratory and field experiments.In growth studies on medium, the fungicides Cane Strike? and Sportak? were about 10 times more toxic than Shirtan? and Tilt?, while toxicity of the latter fungicides was about 100 times that of the three insecticides Lorsban?, Talstar? and Regent? (based on active ingredient). When the amount of active ingredient in each product and field application rates are considered, the expected order of harmfulness in commercial use would be Regent < Talstar < Lorsban < Cane Strike < Tilt < Shirtan < Sportak.In a field experiment where Metarhizium granules were sprayed with each chemical (except Regent) at very high rates and then covered with soil, only Shirtan showed any toxic effect on spore viability, with a reduction from 82% to 69%. No harmful effect of any chemical was detected in counts of colony-forming units in soil samples or in bioassays of treated soil using negatoria and greyback canegrubs. No reduction was found in viability of FI-1045 on nine farms, where BioCane granules were applied though commercial planters with fungicide, compared with granules buried in untreated soil. Thus, we believe that BioCane is compatible with these chemicals in practice, and a label change for BioCane to include application at planting has been drafted with Bio-Care Technology Pty Ltd.
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    Population dynamics of Inopus rubriceps in sugarcane fields with emphasis on bionomic factors assisting pest management (Final report SRDC Project BS11S)
    (BSES, 1991) Samson, PR
    Restrictions were placed on the use of dieldrin in 1987 and its registration for use in the sugar industry lapsed in mid-1991. As no other insecticide is presently available to replace dieldrin, there is an urgent need to develop alternative control strategies. Robertson (1984). PhD thesis. UQ identified organisms predatory and parasitic on the pupal stages of soldier fly as exerting significant population control. A detailed study of the effect of biological control agents and cultural conditions may enable an effective pest management program to be developed for soldier fly.