Canegrubs: a case study

As much as we love sugary cakes and desserts, a number of insects like their sugar fix too. Sugarcane is a feast for numerous pests such as rats, solider flies and worms. One of the worst pests of sugarcane crops are the native canegrubs, including the greyback cane beetle.

Canegrubs cause extensive crop damage by chewing off plant roots, which stunts plant growth and reduces sugar yields.

A cane grub

Cooperative Research Centre for Sugar Industry Innovation through Biotechnology

Australian sugarcane growers control canegrubs using five insecticides (four synthetic and one natural) and a range of agricultural practices. Recently, the canegrubs have developed resistance to one of the most commonly used synthetic insecticides, which means new ways to control them are needed.

The Australian sugarcane fields are very close to the Great Barrier Reef. So, the sugarcane industry has been put under a lot of pressure to reduce the use of synthetic chemicals that might run off into the ocean and damage the reef's ecosystem.

Researchers at the Cooperative Research Centre for Sugar Industry Innovation through Biotechnology (CRC SIIB) are looking for canegrub control options that minimise environmental impact.

The researchers are developing four new strategies for combating canegrubs.

  • New insecticides: CRC SIIB and Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) researchers are exploring their vast collection of marine organisms in search of a new form of insecticide that affects special chemical detectors found only in insects. These products will not affect mammals (including humans).
  • Insect resistant plants: Several compounds have been identified that retard the development of canegrubs. New grub-resistant sugarcane varieties are being developed.
  • Improved Metarhizium (a natural insecticide) production: Research is focusing on economical and reliable delivery of the biocontrol agent Metarhizium to cane growers.
  • Identification and development of new biocontrol agents: Bacterial diseases of canegrubs have been identified as key factors affecting their survival. Researchers are investigating these diseases as possible canegrub biocontrol agents.

The Cooperative Research Centre for Sugar Industry Innovation through Biotechnology (CRC SIIB): http://www.crcsugar.com