Pyrilla (sugarcane leafhopper)
A sugarcane leafhopper that dries the leaves and blackens the crop with honeydew — best controlled by conserving its natural parasite, not by spraying.
- Pest type
- Sap-sucking leafhopper
- Attacks
- Leaf undersides
- Worst in
- Warm, humid monsoon months
- Main risk
- Dried leaves; sooty mould; low sugar
Overview
Pyrilla is a soft, pale-brown, wedge-shaped leafhopper that is a major sap-sucking pest of sugarcane. The adults and nymphs cluster on the underside of the leaves and suck sap in large numbers, especially in the warm, humid monsoon and post-monsoon months, so the leaves yellow, dry from the tips and lose their green area.
They also excrete large amounts of sticky honeydew that falls onto the lower leaves, where a black sooty mould grows and further cuts photosynthesis, lowering cane weight and sugar recovery. What makes pyrilla distinctive is its biological control: a parasite called Epiricania melanoleuca naturally attacks and crashes pyrilla populations, so the single most important management step is to conserve and encourage this parasite and avoid the broad-spectrum sprays that destroy it.
How to identify it
- Soft, pale-brown, wedge-shaped hoppers clustered on the underside of the leaves, hopping when disturbed.
- Leaves yellowing and drying from the tips, with the green area shrinking as feeding continues.
- Sticky honeydew on the lower leaves with a black sooty mould coating.
- Look also for the natural parasite Epiricania — white silky cocoons and egg patches on the leaf underside indicate it is at work.
The damage it does
- Yellowing and drying of the leaves, reducing the green area and photosynthesis.
- Honeydew and thick sooty mould over the lower canopy, further cutting photosynthesis.
- Reduced cane weight and, importantly, lower sugar recovery from the affected crop.
- Rapid build-up in warm, humid weather if the natural parasite has been knocked out by spraying.
When to act
- Monitor the leaf undersides through the warm, humid months when pyrilla builds up, and check whether the Epiricania parasite is present.
- Before doing anything, look for the parasite — if its cocoons and egg patches are on the leaves, it is often already crashing the pyrilla and no spray is needed.
- Avoid spraying that would kill the parasite; act only if pyrilla is high and the parasite is absent.
Organic & cultural control
- Conserve and encourage the parasite Epiricania melanoleuca — the single most important step; where available, its egg masses/cocoons can be collected from infested fields and released into new ones.
- Avoid broad-spectrum insecticide sprays, which destroy the parasite and cause pyrilla to rebound worse.
- Remove excess lower dry leaves (detrashing) to reduce the sheltered, humid microclimate pyrilla favours, and avoid excess nitrogen.
- Manage water and nutrition for a healthy crop that tolerates the feeding better.
Chemical control
- Use chemicals only as a last resort when pyrilla is severe and the parasite is absent — a broad spray otherwise destroys the biocontrol and worsens the problem.
- Where a spray is unavoidable, use a CIB&RC-registered insecticide for sugarcane, directed at the leaf undersides, and preserve the parasite as far as possible.
- Rotate insecticide groups and observe the pre-harvest interval.
- Confirm the current recommendation for your area with your local KVK or sugarcane research station.
Crops most at risk
Where this problem is called out in our crop guides — open a crop for the full package of practices.
Frequently asked questions
My sugarcane leaves are drying and black with sooty mould. What is it?
That is pyrilla, the sugarcane leafhopper. It clusters on the leaf undersides, sucks sap so the leaves yellow and dry, and excretes honeydew on which black sooty mould grows. It lowers cane weight and sugar. Before spraying, check the leaf undersides for its natural parasite Epiricania — it often controls pyrilla on its own.
What is the best way to control pyrilla?
Conserving its natural parasite, Epiricania melanoleuca, is by far the most important step — it naturally crashes pyrilla populations. Look for the parasite’s white cocoons and egg patches on the leaves; where present, no spray is needed. Where available, the parasite can even be collected and released into new fields. Avoid broad-spectrum sprays that kill it.
Why should I avoid spraying insecticide for pyrilla?
Because a broad-spectrum spray kills the Epiricania parasite that keeps pyrilla in check, so the hopper rebounds worse than before — the same resurgence trap as brown planthopper in rice. Reserve chemical control for cases where pyrilla is severe and the parasite is genuinely absent, and even then protect the parasite as far as possible.
Symptoms and control measures follow ICAR, KVK and state agricultural-university package-of-practices; any named chemical is a registered use. Always read the product label and confirm the dose for your crop and zone. editorial policy.