The objective of this work was to study the effect of insecticides on sugarcane root froghopper and fitoparasitic nematodes populations and on technological quality and sugarcane yield. Two experiments were carried out, under field conditions, and different insecticides were applied once or twice during the froghopper infestation period. The most efficient compounds on root froghopper control were aldicarb 150G 12 kg/ha, thiamethoxan 10GR 30 kg/ha, carbofuran 100G 40 kg/ha, applied only in the begining of pest infestation period (October) and aldicarb 150G 6+6 kg/ha and thiamethoxan 10GR 15+15 kg/ha, in which a half dose was applied in the begining (October) and the other half was applied in the middle of pest infestation period (January). In experiment 1, Pratylenchus zeae Grahan was detected in high populations and aldicarb 150G at 12 and at 6+6 kg/ha and carbofuran 100G at 40 kg/ha were the most efficient nematicides, decreasing nematode populations at least untill three months after application. Low populations of P. zeae and Meloidogyne javanica (Treub) Chitwood were detected in experiment 2. The insecticides application resulted in significative increase of sugar content in the stalks, juice purity, and stalks and sugar yields (until 6,12 ton of recoverable sugar per ha), but the split dose applied in two periods did not result in significative increase of yield when compared to only one application.
Root froghopper; Pratylenchus zeae; Meloidogyne javanica; Saccharum
