356 niOCEEDINGS OF THE THIRD ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 



I. Fungal diseases. 



The fungal diseases observed in sugarcane are of the nature'of Red 

 Eot which causes a redness of the internal tissue. Their occurrence has 

 only been noted in an attempt to allocate their share of the damage to 

 the crop. Smut appeared extremely rarely. The first effect of the 

 occurrence of these fungal diseases in new shoots of sugarcane is the 

 " dead heart " characteristic of borer attack. On splitting open the 

 stem the growing buds of the affected shoots are found to have become 

 red. Ultimately the shoots dry up. When the diseases appear in plants 

 which have developed their stem, e.g., cane, to some extent, the plants 

 become stunted and gradually wither. Entire stools may be affected 

 in this mamier. Sometimes the leaves of the affected young shoots 

 lose their green colour, becoming yellowish white. In all cases the 

 affected plants wither. 



Besides being the primary agents of damage themselves, these fungal 

 diseases invariably follow in the wake of the borers, both external and 

 internal, and in all stages of the cane. In fact at Pusa grown-up canes 

 do not actually suffer much from the borers themselves but the real 

 damage is caused by the fungal diseases which follow. Thus, when 

 Scirpopliaga caterpillars bore the top, the top withers and the cane may 

 dry from the top downwards, the drying being due to fungal diseases. 

 WTien borers or rats gnaw the base of the cane, fimgal diseases working 

 at the base cut short the supply of sap and the entire caue dries up. 

 Similarly borer or jackal damage in the middle of the stem introduces 

 fimgal diseases which may redden the whole of the internal tissue of the 

 stem, ultimately leading to the death of the entire plant. 



II. The External agents of damage. 

 Among the external agents are included — 



(1) Termites, commonly known as " white ants." 



(2) Mole-crickets (Gryllotalpa ajricana). 



^3) Beetle grubs (Melolonthid, Curculionid, Chrysomelid and Elaterid 

 grubs) ; also the Red Ants {Dorylus). 



Termites or white ants are common pests and attack young 

 fruit and other trees, cuttings of plants, garden vegetables, and also 



