BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AND WATER MANAGEMENT AS MEASURES FOR BETTER SUGARCANE PRODUCTIVITY IN EGYPT

摘要

Egypt faces a continuously grown gap between sugar production and consumption. Such gap is tackled by a strategy adopted after intensive evaluation of the status of production in the country. As Egypt average yield per unit area is one of the highest allover the world, attention was directed towards maintaining high yield in addition to increase quality of cane. Basic approaches for those aims are through the adoption of improved surface irrigation and biological control of stem borers. Intensive research on improved surface irrigation indicated the possibility of saving 20 to 25% of the water allocated for cane irrigation. Since expansion of cane area is not possible, for several reasons as this article indicates, the saved water would be directed for expansion of sugar beet production area. In addition the use of this technique was reported to be easy to apply than drip or sprinkler irrigation. It also led to an increase of net cane per unit area. Biological control of stem borers was investigated in Egypt in 1970's. Findings indicated that the use of the predator Trichogramma evanescens wasps could be a best measure to control Chilo's infestation of cane.