Pests of Sorghum Finger millet and

Pearl millet

A.Murugan

Bsc.,Agriculture

Pests of sorghum - Borers

Shoot fly Atherigona varia

soccata

Muscidae Diptera

Stem borer Chilo partellus Crambidae Lepidoptera

Pink stem borer Sesamia inferens Noctuidae Lepidoptera

Defoliators

Slug caterpillar Thosea apierens Cochlididae Lepidoptera

Leaf roller Marasmia trapezalis Pyralidae Lepidoptera

Flea beetle Monolepta signata Galuricidae Coleoptera

Red hairy caterpillar Amsacta albistriga

A. moorei

Arctiidae Lepidoptera

Weevils Myllocerus

maculosus

Curculionidae Coleoptera

Leaf beetle Cryptocephalus

schestedti

Cryptocephalidae Coleoptera

Wingless

grasshopper

Colomania

sphenaroides

Acrididae Orthoptera

Sucking pests

Shoot bug Peregrinus maidis Delphacidae Hemiptera

Plant lice Rhopalosiphum

maidis

Aphididae Hemiptera

Earhead Feeders

Earhead bug Calocoris angustatus Miridae Hemiptera

Mirid bug Creontiades

pallidifer

Miridae Hemiptera

Sorghum midge Contarinia

sorghicola

Cecidomyiidae Diptera

Gram caterpillar Helocoverpa

armigera

Noctuidae Lepidoptera

Semilooper Eublemma silicula Noctuidae Lepidoptera

Plant bug Dolycoris indicus Pentatomidae Hemiptera

Stink bug Nezara viridicula Pentatomidae Hemiptera

Earhead web worm Cryptoblabes

gnidiella

Pyraustidae Lepidoptera

Sorghum shoot fly- Antherigona soccata

Dead heart symptom

Infested plants produces side tillers

Seedlings upto 4 weeks are attacked

Severe during summer in Coimbatore.

ETL 10% dead hearts

Management :

Use higher seed rate 12kg/ha

Spray methyl demeton@250ml/ha

Seed treatment with imdaclorpid @10g/kg of seeds

Sorghum stem borer – Chilo partellus

Dead heart symptom

Affects the crop usually one month after sowing

Larva feeds on tender folded leaves causes short hole symptom

Infestation is noticed till harvest

ETL 10% dead hearts

Management :

Carbofuran @25kg/ha

Spray carbaryl @1.25 kg/ha

Raise cowpea as a mixed crop to reduce infestation

Earhead bug – Calocoris angustatus

First noticed in south Arcot district of Tamilnadu

Potential pest of sorghum in south India

Nymphs and adults suck the sap from the grains and turns into chaffiness.

ETL 10 bugs/head

Management :

Two applications of carbaryl 10 % at 10 day interval

With the milky stage.

Sorghum midge – Stenadiplosis sorghicola

ETL 5/head

Maggots feed on the developing grains

Sowing of early maturing high yielding varieties on different dates with late manuring

provides ideal condition for multiplication of this insect.

Management :

Apply carbaryl 225kh/ha on 3rd and

18th day after panicle emergence.

Light traps

Earhead caterpillars

Web worm

Semiloopers ETL 2/head

Gram caterpillars

Management :

Light traps

Sex pheromone trap @12/ha

Malathion 25 kg/ha on 3rd and 18th day after panicle emergence.

Pests of pearl millet - Borers

Shoot fly Atherigonia

approximata

Muscidae Coleoptera

Stem borer Chilo partellus Crambidae Lepidoptera

Pink stem borer Sesamia inferens Noctuidae Lepidoptera

Defoliators

Leaf beetle Lema downsei Galerucidae Coleoptera

Black hairy

caterpillar

Estigmene lactinea Arctiidae Lepidoptera

Wingless

grasshopper

Neorthacris simulans Acrididae Orthoptera

Earhead feeders

Grain midge Geromyia penniseti Cecidomyiidae Diptera

Semilooper Antoba silicula Noctuidae Lepidoptera

Stink bug Nezara viridula Pentatomidae Hemiptera

Shoot fly – Antherigona approximata

Dead heart symptom in young plants

Occur during cold weather season

Chaffy grains

Grain loss from 23.3 to 47.4%

Management :

Seed treatment with imidacloprid 10g/kg of seeds

Spray methyl demeton @12ml/ 3 cents in 6 litres of water

Set up fish meal trap @12/ha

Grain midge – Geromyia penniseti

Maggots feed on developing grains causing grainless glumes with white pupal case

attached to the tip of the spikelet.

Management :

Carbaryl 10 D @ 25kg/ha at 50% flowering

Stink bug – Nezara viridula

Grains became chaffy or spotted black or shriveled

Bug emanates a stinking smell

Management :

Apply carbaryl 50wp @ 750g/ha

Grasshoppers, leaf beetles, caterpillars and

weevils

Defoliation

Scrap the chlorophyll and results in drying of the leaves

Management :

Collect the various stages of the insects and destroy it.

Pests of Finger millet

Pink stem borer Sesamia inferens Nhoctuidae Lepidoptera

White borer Saluria inficita Phycitidae Lepidoptera

Defoliators

Cut worm Spodoptera exigua Noctuidae Lepidoptera

Flea beetle Chaetocnema

pusaensis

Alticidae Coleoptera

Root feeders

Root aphid Tetraneura

nigriabdominalis

Aphididae Hemiptera

Root grub Holotrichia

consanguinea

Melolonthidae Coleoptera

Pink stem borer – Sesamia inferns

Important pest of finger millet in India.

The larvae enters the leaf sheath

and bore into the stem and starts feeding .

Management :

Carbaryl 50 WP @1000g/ha

White borer – Saluria inficita

Specific pest of finger millet in south India

Larvae is cream white with yellow head found at basal portion of tillers close to soil

level.

Management :

Carbaryl 50WP @1000g/ha

Cut worm – Spodoptera exigua

Defoliates the plants especially in nursery.

Also affects onion,sunflower, chillies etc.,

The larvae hide in the soil during day time and feed on leaves during night time.

Management :

Spraying chlorpyrifos 0.02%

Black hairy caterpillar – Amsacta lactinea

The larvae with black head and hairs all over its body feeds on leaves

Other hosts like sorghum, pulses etc.,

Management :

Spraying methyl parathion @0.05%

Flea beetle – Chaetocnema pusaensis

The flea beetle is dark blue with the enlarged hind femur

The adults bite holes in the leaves of young plants and affect their vigour both in the

nursery and in the young transplanted crop.

Management :

Dusting carbaryl @ 10%

Earhead caterpillars- Sitotroga cerealella

Larvae feed on the developing grains

Management :

Carbaryl 50 WP @1500g/ha at milky stage

Root aphid – Tetraneura nigriabdominalis

Pink colored small aphids sucks the sap from the roots causing gradual wilting and

drying of plants in patches.

The black ants can be seen attending aphids for their honey dew secretion.

Management :

Mixing crude oil in irrigation water is effective

Diomethoate @ 0.03 % emulsion may be drenched into the soil .

White grub – Holotrichia consanguinea

In few places in Tamilnadu during July- September the roots of the finger millets are

severely damaged by the grubs of the beetle resulting in the death of large number of

plants and ultimate loss in grain yield.

Management:

Regular field checking is the control measure.

REFERENCE

ELEMENTS OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 8TH EDITION – B.Vasantharaj David

& V.V.Ramamurthy. (P.NO 108 – 114 ).

A GUIDE ON CROP PESTS – A.Ragupathy & R.Ayyasamy ( P.NO 220 – 224 ).

https://www.nbair.res.in/insects/pest crop index.