Varietal susceptibility to the corn wireworm Melanotus communis (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in sugarcane

Wireworms (larval Elateridae) reduce the stand of newly planted sugarcane (complex hybrid of Saccharum spp.) directly by damaging growing points and indirectly by facilitating disease introduction. No research has evaluated resistance or tolerance of sugarcane genotypes grown in Florida to wireworm. Eleven genotypes of sugarcane and a S. spontaneum genotype were subjected to corn wireworm, Melanotus communis (Gyllenhall) (Coleoptera: Elateridae), in greenhouse experiments to evaluate potential host plant resistance. The experiments were designed to measure the effects of wireworms on the first 90 days of growth. Sugarcane stalk sections were planted in trays of soil with and without wireworms in 2010 and 2011. Stand count, dry weight, and percentage of nodes damaged were evaluated. Wireworms reduced stand and dry weight by 40–60 %. Several genotypes were able to produce acceptable stands in wireworm-infested trays by emerging quickly and producing many tillers. CP 88-1762, CP 89-2143, and CP 03-1912 did not suffer statistically significant losses of stand or biomass due to wireworms in either year. Our findings suggest that genotype resistance should be considered as an important component of an integrated program aimed at reducing the use of insecticides to control wireworms in sugarcane.