Effect of soil silicon amendment on performance of sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis, (Lepidoptera:Crambidae) on rice in Louisiana

The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.), is a pest of a variety of graminaceous crops in the southern United States, including sugarcane, maize, and rice in Louisiana. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of soil silicon (Si) amendments on performance of sugarcane borer, D. saccharalis on two rice cultivars, Cocodrie and XL723. There was a significant increase in Si content of rice plants supplemented with Calcium silicate as compared to the control plants. Soil Si amendment led to lower relative growth rates and reduced boring success of sugarcane borer larvae on plants treated with silicon than on control plants. Effects of soil Si amendments appeared to be more pronounced in susceptible cultivar, Cocodrie as compared to moderately resistant cultivar, XL723. These results suggest that soil Si amendment has the potential to fit into the IPM program for stem borers as it is feasible, environment friendly and compatible with other control tactics.