Field library

Early Shoot Borer

This caterpillar bores into a young cane shoot near ground level and eats it from inside. The central leaf dries up and dies while the outer leaves are still green; this dead centre pulls out easily and smells foul. The shoot is finished, and in a bad year the field is left thin with big gaps.

How to scout

Walk the rows and pull the dried central leaf of any shoot that looks wilted; if it slips out easily and smells bad, it is this borer, so count the dead centres in every hundred shoots.