Shoot fly

• Young plants - causes dead hearts
• Ear heads - chaffy grains in the tip and well developed grains in the lower portion of ear heads

Identification of pest

Scientific Name - Atherigona approximata

• Adult - Greyish white fly

Management Strategies

• 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.
• Spray Neem seed kernel extract 5%

Stem borer

Symptom of Damage

• Withering and drying of central shoot -“dead heart”
• Red mining in the midrib
• Bore holes visible on the stem near the nodes
• Tender folded leaves have parallel “shot hole”
• Affected parts of stem may show internally tunneling   caterpillars

Scientific Name - Chilo partellus

• Egg-Scale-like flat oval eggs in batches on the under surface of leaves near the midribs
• Larva - Yellowish brown with a brown head and prothoracic shield
• Adult - Moth is medium size, straw coloured

Management Strategies

• Collect the stubbles after harvest and burn to destroy diapausing borers.
• Set up light trap till midnight to attract and kill the stem borer moth.

Pink stem borer

Symptom of Damage

• Central shoots dried and produce the dead hearts

Identification of pest

Scientific Name - Sesamia inferens

• Egg : Bead like laid in rows within the leaf sheath 
  
• Larva : Pinkish brown with dark head 
  
• Adult : Straw coloured moth with white wings

Grain midge

Symptoms of damage

• Grain less glumes with white pupal case attached to the tip of the spikelet

Identification of the pest

Scientific Name - Geromyia penniseti

• Adult - Light pink fragile fly

Symptoms of damage

• Grains become chaffy or spotted black and shrivelled
• A stinking smell emanates from the bug

Identification of the pest

Scientific Name - Peregrinus maidis

• Nymph - Brownish red with multi colour spots
• Adult - Green in colour