LIFE HISTORY AND BIOLOGY OF SESAMIA GRISESCENS WALKER (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE), A SUGARCANE BORER IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

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Abstract
Sesamia grisescens is a pest of sugarcane, Saccharum officinarum, in Papua New Guinea. Egg masses are laid beneath the sheaths of younger leaves of the sugarcane stalk. Eggs hatch 9 d after oviposition and first instars mine the inner surface of the leaf sheath for 2 d before boring into the terminal internodes of the stalk. The gregarious early instars feed on the internode tissue, killing the apical meristem. After the death of the apical meristem and spindle leaves, the larvae migrate to the upper 3–4 internodes of adjacent undamaged stalks where large tunnels are mined. Several days prior to pupation, the larvae cut large exit holes through the stalk rind and retreat up to 5 cm into the tunnel to pupate. There are 7 larval instars. In the laboratory, the larval and pupal stages occupied 34 and 17 d, respectively. The time from egg to adult was 60 d. Adults survived up to 7 d and mating commenced 34 h after emergence. Alternative host plants are S. robustum, S. spontaneum, S. edule, Pennisetum purpureum, and Panicum maximum.

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