NURSERY PESTS Only limited information is available on the intensity of damage caused by insect pests in bamboo nurseries. A few termites belonging to the genus Odontotermes are reported to cause injury to the root system of Bambusa tulda (Thakur 1988b). The fibrous roots are eaten away leading to the drying up of young seedlings. White grubs belonging to the genus Holotrichia are reported to cause damage to Dendrocalamus strictus, often leading to the death of seedlings. Some of the grasshoppers, such as Hieroglyphus banian Fab. (Beeson 1941) and Poecilocerus pictus Fab. (Browne 1968), have been reported to cause minor injury and subsequent defoliation in India and Pakistan. The bamboo leaf roller, Algedonia coclesalis Walker, is found to feed on seedlings of various bamboo species in China. No routine measures are practised against the above pests, as the damage caused is negligible. |