Karnal: The farmers suffering huge losses due to damage to sugarcane crop beause of the dreaded “white grub” disease can heave a sigh of relief as the scientists at the Sugarcane Breeding Centre, Karnal, have discovered a pesticide for effective control of the disease. The disease was rampant in several districts of UP, parts of Haryana and Punjab and, at many places, the farmers had been forced to root out the crop to get rid of the disease. A senior scientist of the Sugarcane Breeding Centre, Karnal, Dr SK Pandey, started experimenting to control the disease in the farms near Simbhawali Sugar Mill in Muzaffarnagar (UP) and after using different pesticides for three years, it was found that Clothianidin was effective in controlling and eradicating the disease. The pesticide was available in the market under the brand name of De tatsu and 150 gm of the pesticide dissolved in 400 litres of water or mixed in sand was sufficient for controlling the pest. Dr Pandey said it was suggested that the application of Clothianidin should be done during May and June after the first summer rains as the male and female larvae emerge from the soil after the rain and feed on the root system and the underground stalks of sugarcane. In the initial stages, the attack can be noticed in patches but later on the infestation spreads to the entire field and the adult beetles, after the first shower, emerge from the soil and congregate on tree leaves in and around the sugarcane fields. The pesticides used so far had failed to control the disease but mass spray of Monocrotophos or Imidacloprid on trees after the first summer rains also helps in reducing the damage.