Wireworm (Coleoptera: Elateridae) Effects on Sugarcane Emergence after Short-Duration Flood Applied at Planting

The purpose of this study was to analyze sugarcane, interspecific hybrids of Saccharum spp., emergence under severe wireworm, Melanotus communis Gyllenhal, pressure after floods of 7, 14, and 21 d applied at planting, as well as following a conventional application of an organophosphate insecticide at planting without flooding. In three experiments, wireworms were applied at the rate of 13 larvae per m of row in plastic containers filled with Pahokee muck soil. In the first experiment, sugarcane bud emergence percentages under the flood treatments were lower than under the insecticide treatment, probably due to lower than normal air and soil temperatures. Emergence percentages in the 14- and 21-d flood treatments and the insecticide treatment were similar in the final two experiments, except that the 14-d flood resulted in greater emergence than the insecticide treatment in the second experiment. Reductions in plant weight were associated with some flood treatments. Previous work reported that wireworms damaged growing plants in containers, but damage was primarily limited to reduced emergence in field studies. This study identified short-term flooding in sugarcane as a potential measure to control wireworm damage with environmental and economic benefits. Temperature-response and field studies are needed to verify results.