Does soil texture influence the distribution of the greyback canegrub, Dermolepida albohirtum (Waterhouse) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in the Burdekin River sugarcane growing area?

Abstract

A series of experiments was undertaken to examine the effect of soil type on the spatial distribution of greyback canegrub in sugarcane in the Burdekin region of Queensland. These experiments examined spatial distribution at a district level as well as within individual fields, using both field and laboratory experiments. The studies concluded that soil type affected canegrub distribution both within fields and within the Burdekin district. However, the mechanisms affecting the distribution at each level were very different. At a regional or district level the preference of greyback canegrub for sandy delta-type soils over soil with higher clay content was hypothesised to be the result of preferential oviposition and improved larval survival in sandy soils over soils with a high clay content. At the field level, cane height was thought to be the primary reason for the patchy distribution of damage, with taller areas being damaged in preference to shorter areas. As all cane is planted or harvested at the same time in each field, differences in cane height between damaged and undamaged areas were thought to be the result of differences in soil type.