suSConÃ’ Maxi AND CONTROL OF GREYBACK CANEGRUB IN SUGARCANE

THIS PAPER summarises data collected to satisfy requirements to register the controlled-release (CR) insecticide product suSCon® Maxi (50 g imidacloprid / kg) to control damage by greyback canegrub (Dermolepida albohirtum) to the root-mass of sugarcane crops in Australia. The paper also illustrates a collaborative research and development process to provide products suited to the sugarcane industry’s needs. Greyback canegrub populations in plant crops were markedly reduced by treatment with 10–15 kg/ha of product applied into the planting furrow. In first ratoon crops, effects on populations were much less pronounced. Yield benefits from treatment with suSCon® Maxi relative to untreated controls were more pronounced in first ratoons than in plant crops. suSCon® Maxi was equally or more effective than other registered CR products. Critical threshold populations at some sites were between 0.5–1.0 greyback canegrubs / stool.