SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF SUGARCANE PYRILLA, PYRILLA PERPUSILLA WLK. (HOMOPTERA : LOPHOPIDAE) BY USING CULTURAL, CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PRACTICES IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

Management of sugarcane pyrilla, was carried out on sugarcane variety hsf-240 with different control measures, in the research area, directorate of sugarcane, ayub agricultural research institute, faisalabad, punjab, pakistan during 2008.various control methods, like, cultural (fortnightly hoeing and destruction of weeds to remove alternate host plants, and detrashing of older leaves twice during the season and trash-mulching), biological (4-times release of cocoons of epiricania melanoleuca @ 2500/ha from june 15 to september 15) , chemical (carbofuran @ 35 kg/ha from one month after sowing and coupled with earthing up), were applied singly and in their possible combinations, such as, biological + cultural, biological + chemical, cultural + chemical and cultural + biological + chemical control with the objective to keep the pest population below the economic threshold level and to find the most economical and effective method of control, for communication to the farmers. application of cultural + biological + chemical controls in combination, resulted in a minimum population of p. perpusilla i.e., 0.32/leaf with maximum yield 3415.67 monds/ha, whereas cultural methods showed a maximum pest population of 3.65/leaf, with minimum yield of 2214.33 monds/ha. the application of cultural + chemical + biological control methods resulted in maximum net gain i.e., rs. 149167/- per hectare with a cost-benefit ratio of 9.44 and was found to be the best treatment.