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- LSU AgCenter partners with agencies to tackle damaging scale insect
(05/02/17) BATON ROUGE, La. – The LSU AgCenter is joining forces with several state and national agencies and organizations to attack the scale insect that is damaging Roseau cane, a plant that is key to the integrity of the Louisiana coast.
The scale has infested large areas of Roseau cane in Plaquemines Parish at the mouth of the Mississippi River, and it also has been found near Lafitte and Grand Isle, according to LSU AgCenter entomologist Rodrigo Diaz.
He said some areas of affected Roseau have grown back. “We are seeing some regrowth, but it already has scales.”
Diaz and AgCenter entomologists Jim Cronin and Blake Wilson presented a webinar with more information about the scale. The recorded webinar can be viewed at: http://bit.ly/2oQ4L4s.
“The LSU AgCenter is providing a clear plan to tackle this problem,” Diaz said.
The AgCenter is working with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry, the LSU Biology Department, the LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources, Plaquemines Parish cattle rancher Earl Armstrong and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and British Natural History Museum assisted with identification of the pest, an invasive species that originated in China and Japan.
Diaz said funding will have to be found to carry out the plan.
The first objective is to educate the public about the importance of Roseau cane to mitigating coastal erosion along the Mississippi River Delta and the potential for spreading the scale, he said.
Roseau roots help hold marsh soil in place, and the plants break up wave action, Diaz said. Boaters who are in the affected areas should wash their vessels to remove scales to prevent spreading the insect.
The plan also calls for monitoring the distribution and effect along the Louisiana Gulf Coast, and assess naturally occurring biological controls, he said.
A parasitic wasp has been identified as a natural enemy of the scale.
Assessment will be done to identify which cultivars of Roseau cane are resistant to the pest, Diaz said. A study will be done on the effect of scale infestation on Roseau cane plant health, and the identification of other factors that could influence the host-pest relationship, including salinity and water depth.
It is possible that the scale could also move to crops such as sugarcane, sorghum and rice. “We don’t know if the scale will attack grass crops,” Diaz said.
An evaluation of insecticidal management options should be conducted, which would result in the implementation of a reduced-risk chemical control strategy. Diaz said these approaches will be incorporated into an integrated pest management plan for this scale.
Scale insects sit on a stalk of Roseau cane. This insects feed on the cane destroying the plant. Photo by Rodrigo Diaz