White grubs(=larvae of Scaraebid beetles) are major pests of sugarcane in India. These grubs feed on the roots and underground portions of the plant, resulting in reduced growth and lodging. Heavy infestations can result in the death of the cane plants. White grubs are polyphagous and are also important pests of other food crops such as peanut, tomato, millets and areca nut.
At present cultural, mechanical, and chemical methods are used for the control of white grubs in Indian sugarcane. Chemical insecticides are expensive, hazardous to the environment and are generally ineffective against the adult stages of the grub. A new species of insect parasitic nematode, Heterorhabditis indicus, has recently been described from India and this is the first insect parasitic nematode to be described from the Indian sub-continent. Pot tests indicated that H. indicus could infect and kill white grubs of sugarcane.
Insect parasitic nematodes are particularly suited for the biological control of soil dwelling pests. These nematodes actively seek out insect hosts in the soil, they kill their hosts rapidly, they are non hazardous to vertebrates and they can be cultured in large numbers for field application.
The major aims of this project are to isolate further Indian strains of insect parasitic nematodes; to test these isolates for their efficacy in the control of Whitegrubs under laboratory and field conditions; to genetically improve the desiccation and temperature tolerance of H. indicus and to develop mass production, harvesting, formulation and storage - - - - techniques for H. indicus. If these objectives are achieved, this project will have a major impact on the cultivation and yields of sugarcane and other food crops affected by white grubs in India and in other tropical and sub-tropical agro-climatic zones. It will also reduce production costs and the reduction of pesticide use will have a positive impact on agroecosystems.