By James Villegas, Wilson, Blake
LSU AgCenter
The invasive Mexican rice borer (Eoreuma loftini) has become increasingly problematic in Louisiana in recent years and threatens both rice and sugarcane, the two most important crops in the southern part of the state. Adult moths lay eggs on grasses and larvae feed internally within stems hindering plant growth and damaging crop yields (Figure 1). Fortunately, the threat to Louisiana’s agriculture was identified before the pests’ arrival, and proactive research began in Texas as early as 2000 to examine the pest’s ecology and identify potential management strategies. Now that the pest has become established in much of the southwest and central regions of the state, that research is being refined, adapted and applied to help provide pest management solutions that can mitigate its impact.