Management

• Use seeds pelleted with insecticides (see sorghum)
• Seed treatment with imidacloprid 70 WS 10 g/kg of seeds
• Plough soon after harvest, remove and destroy the stubbles.
• Set up the TNAU low cost fish meal trap 12/ha till the crop is 30
  days old.
• Soil application of phorate 10%CG 10 kg/ha at the time of sowing

Apply any one of the following insecticides:

• Methyl demeton 25 EC 500 ml/ha
• Carbofuran 3%CG 33.3 kg/ha
• Dimethoate 30%EC 1155 ml/ha
• Methyl demeton 25% EC 1000 ml/ha
• Phorate 10%CG 10 kg/ha

Symptoms of damage

• Central shoot withers and leading to “dead heart”.
• Larvae mines the midrib enter the stem and feeds on the internal tissues.
• Bore holes visible on the stem near the nodes.
• Young larva crawls and feeds on tender folded leaves causing typical “shot hole” symptom.
• Affected parts of stem may show internally tunnelling caterpillars

Identification of the pest

• Eggs - Spherical in shape and creamy white in colour, laid singly
• Larva - Shows colour variation from greenish to brown.
• It has dark brown grey lines on the body with lateral white lines
• Pupa - Brown in colour, occurs in soil, leaf, pod and crop debris

Adult

• Light pale brownish yellow stout moth.
• Forewings are olive green to pale brown with a dark brown circular spot in the centre.
• Hind wings are pale smoky white with a broad blackish outer margin.

Management

• Set up of light traps
• Set up sex pheromone traps at 12/ha
• Two applications of NPV at 10 days interval at 1.5 X1012 POB along with
• Crude sugar 2.5 kg + cotton seed kernel powder 250 g on the ear heads

Apply any one of the following on 3rd and 18th day after panicle emergence :

• Carbaryl 10 D 25 kg/ha
• Malathion 5 D 25 kg/ha
• Phosalone 4 D 25 kg/ha

Symptom of damage

• Nymphs and adult suck the juice from within the grains when they are in the milky stage. 
• Grains shrink and turn black in colour and ill filled (or) chaffy.
• Orange and pale green nymphs and adults are seen on the ear head.

Identification of the pest

• Egg - Blue cigar shaped , laid under the glumes or into the middle of the florets
• Nymphs - Slender, green in colour
• Adults - Male is green in colour. Female is green with a brown margin

Management

Apply any one of the following on 3rd and 18th day after panicle emergence :

• Carbaryl 10 D @25 kg/ha
• Malathion 5 D @25 kg/ha
• Phosalone 4 D @25 kg/ha
• Neem seed kernel extract 5%
• Azadirachtin 1%

Symptom of damage

• larva first feeds on the lemma of the flowers scraping the chlorphyll
• later on the milky grains.
• Webbing of maize cobs and feeding on the flowers and the grains.

Identification of the pest

• Larva - Long and dark brown. It forms silken webs on cobs
• Adult - Dark grey forewings

Management

Management

• Mix any of the following granular insecticides with sand to make up
  a total quantity of 50 kg and apply in the leaf whorls on the 20th
  day of sowing
• Phorate 10% CG10 kg/ha
• Carbaryl 4% G 20 kg/ha.
•  For stem borer, release egg p[arasitoid Trichogramma chilonis @
  2,50,000 /ha coinciding egg laying period. Three releases at
  weekly interval are desirable. Third release is to be accompanied
  with larval parasitoid Cotesia flavipes @ 5000/ha
• If granular insecticides are not used, spray any one of the
  following :
• Carbaryl 50 WP 1 kg/ha on the 20th day of sowing (500 l of spray
  fluid/ha).
• Dimethoate 30% EC 660 ml/ha

Symptom of damage

• Leaves become yellow
• Covered with black sooty mould
• Top leaves get dried up and lateral buds germinate

Identification of the pest

• Nymph - Soft, pale brown dorsally and pale orange ventrally
• Adult - Straw coloured, head pointing forward as a snou

Symptom of damage

• Yellowing of leaves
• Colonies of aphids found in central leaf whorl.

Identification of the pest

• Yellow with dark green legs

Symptom of damage

• Plants become unhealthy stunted and yellow.
• The leaves wither from top downwards.
• Panicle formation is inhibited and the plants die if attack is severe. 
• Honeydew secreted by the bug causes growth of sooty mould on
  leaves.
• The midribs of the leaves turn red due to egg-laying and may
  dry up subsequently.

Identification of the pest

• Egg: Laid inside the leaf tissue and covered with a white waxy substance.
• Adult: Yellowish brown to dark brown with translucent wings.

Management

Spray any following insecticides

• Diazine0.04%
• Dimethoate (or) 0.02%,
• Phosphomidon @ 250 ml in 450-500 litres water/ha