Shootfly

• The maggot bores inside the stem and cuts the growing point.
• Central shoots dried and produce “dead heart” symptom.
• The infested plant produces side tillers.

Identification of pest

Scientific Name - Atherigona varia soccata

• Egg - white, cylindrical, distal somewhat flattened
• Adult - Whitish grey fly

Management Strategies

• ETL: 1 egg/plant in 10% of plants in the first two weeks of sowing or 10 % dead hearts
• Take up early sowing of sorghum immediately after the receipt of South West or North East monsoon to minimise the shoot fly incidence.
• In case of direct seeding, use increased seed rate upto 12.5 kg/per hectare and remove the shoot fly damaged seedlings at the time of thinning or raise nursery and transplant only healthy seedlings.
• 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.
• In main field for direct sown crop 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 of 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

• Sowing the lab lab / cowpea as an intercrop to minimise stemborer damage (Sorghum: Lab lab /cowpea 4:1).
• Set up of light traps till mid night to monitor, attract and kill adults of stem borer, grain midge and earhead caterpillars

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 wing

Ear Head caterpillar

Symptoms of damage

• Earheads are partially eaten with chalky appearance.
• Feacal pellets are visible within the ear heads.

Identification of the pest

Scientific Name - Helicoverpa armigera

• 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 debri

Management Strategies

ETL: 2 / earhead

• Set up of light traps till mid night to monitor, attract and kill adults of stem borer, grain midge and earhead caterpillars.

• Set up sex pheromone traps at 12/ha to attract male moths of Helicoverpa armigera from flowering to grain hardening.

Symptoms 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

Scientific Name - Peregrinus maidis

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

Symptoms 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.
• Presence of large number of nymphs and adults are seen on the ear head.

Identification of the pest

Scientific Name - Calocoris angustatus

• 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 Strategies

ETL: 10 / earhead

Apply Neem seed kernel extract 5% on 3rd and 18th day after panicle emergence

Sorghum midge

Symptoms of damage

• Pollen shedding due to egg laying
• White pupal cases protruding out from the grains
• Chaffy grains with holes

Identification of the pest

Scientific Name - Contarinia sorghicola

• Adult - Fly is small, fragile with a bright orange abdomen and a pair of transparent wings.

Management Strategies

• Sett up of light traps till mid night to monitor, attract and kill adults of stem borer, grain midge and earhead caterpillars.

• Apply Neem seed kernel extract 5% on 3rd and 18th day after panicle emergence.

• The sowing of sorghum should be completed in as short a time as possible to avoid continuous flowering which favours grain midge and earhead bug multiplication in an area.

Plant lice

Symptoms of damage

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

Identification of the pest

Scientific Name - Rhopalosiphum maidis

• Yellow with dark green legs

Management Strategies

• Spraying the base of attacked plants with a contact (or) systemic insecticide controls the aphid.