Blissus control on forage surfaces

In livestock farming, it is important to feed with plant species belonging to the grass family, since these species represent a nutritionally balanced food for ruminant animals that need protein and fiber. In that sense, as every crop these plants require an adequate agronomic management where a series of practices are applied such as insect pest control, forage grasses are affected by a great diversity of insect pests that can cause the loss of forage biomass, among those insects is the Blissus spp, which can cause severe damage to the foliage of the plant.

The way these insects reproduce is through eggs, it tends to place them near the roots of grasses, these eggs after hatching give way to nymphs that tend to have a yellow color, after the nymph stage of about 40 days they change to a black color with white wings, at this stage is where the insect causes the most damage to species that are susceptible such as some of the genus brachiaria. When this insect reaches the aforementioned adult stage is where it causes the most damage because it feeds on the sap of the roots and leaves and inject some toxins into the plant, when this happens it is evident because the grass begins to take on a yellow color, like a kind of burning on leaves and stems.

The above mentioned allows to know a little about the insect and the damage it causes to grass plants, it is of interest to mention that not all grass species are susceptible to this insect, the most affected are the brachiaria arrecta, barachiaria mutica and cynodon nlemfuensis. However, if a kind of burning of the leaves of the plants is observed on the surface, a review of the paddocks should be carried out to be sure that this insect is the one causing the damage, because there is another species commonly known as candelilla whose scientific name is aeneolamia spp. that generates similar systems in plants.

Then in this same order of ideas, the first step would be the diagnosis or review of the paddocks to be sure that it is the blissus that is affecting the pastures, the next step is to determine the control method that can be applied and that will depend on the degree of infestation that the crop has, if the presence does not represent a high percentage preventive methods can be applied such as the application of organic products based on neem, a maceration of neem, considering that it is a plant that has secondary compounds that can cause repellency and even the death of some insects, among the secondary compounds is azaradictin.

Other organic products that can be used for its control are entomopathogenic fungi such as bauveria bassiana, metarhizium anisopliae, these can be applied at the end of the rainy period which is when this pest insect begins to appear, since, it does not tolerate moisture, the idea is that when they begin to populate the surface there are already this biological organisms that invade the insects penetrating their cuticle by enzymatic processes and take it as hosts, the insects are mummified.

In case of not having carried out a preventive management and the surface is found with a high degree of infestation, a synthetic product should be applied, since, these generate a faster action on the insects, we will not recommend any specific chemical product, in commercial houses they will recommend a specific one for the control of this insect, but if we can tell you that the frequency of application if the attack of the insects is a very strong one can be in a range between 15 and 20 days until the decrease of the blissus can be observed.

Dear readers, finally it is good that you also take into account that the pest does not tolerate moisture and when the rains come these go to the apical part of the grass leaves, this would be a good time to apply the chemical because the blissus would be more exposed to the product, you can also pass a weeder to decrease the height of the grass and apply the product. These control alternatives can be effective when applied correctly and at the right time.