Ehtisham Ali Hussain University College Of Agriculture, University Of Sargodha, Sargodha For more Topics Contact.., shamu.hassan.eh@gmail.com

1. Insect pest of sorghum
(Sorghum shoot fly)
Ehtisham Ali Hussain
BAGF15E258
University College Of Agriculture,
University Of Sargodha

2. CONTENTS
• Introduction of sorghum
• Taxanomy (sorghum shoot fly)
• Identification
• Host plants , status of pest
• Life cycle
• Seasonal occurrence
• Economic importance
• Symptoms /signs
• Mode of Damages
• Control (Cultural , chemical , biological)
• New research

3. SORGHUM
 Family : Graminae
 Locally known as (Jawar) and is
grown as a fodder crop in Pakistan.
 It is multi- use cereal ;contain
grains , forage and sweet types.
 Sowing time ( from 3rd week of
march to mid-September )
 Sorghum is the worlds fifth most important
cereal crop after maize , rice, wheat and barley.
 Pakistan produce 50-70 (t/ha) sorghum as a
fodder.

4. TAXANOMY (SORGHUM SHOOT FLY )
(Atherigona soccata)
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum : Arthropda
• Class : Insecta
• Order : Diptera
• Family : Duscidae
• Genus : Atherigona
• Specie : soccata

5. Identification
Eggs are white in colour .
• Eggs are laid on the under side.
of leaves of 7 to 8 days of seedlings
or on young tillers.
• one to three eggs are laid per leaf.
• The white eggs have an elongate
shape

6. Larva the young larvae
• crawl down inside the sheath
base of young shoot ,killing the growing
point and youngest leaf.
• The full grown (third instar ) larvae
is 8 to 10mm long and has a
yellowish colour.

7. Pupa usually takes place
in the base of dead shoot , but
sometimes in the soil.
• The pupal period takes place about 7 days.

8. Adult fly is about 4mm long.
• It looks like a small house fly .
• Head and thorax of the female are
pale grey .
• The abdomen is yellowish with
paired brown patches.
• The male is more blackish

9. Host plants
• Major host : sorghum
• Alternative host : rice , maize , millet
wheat
Pest status : major pest of sorghum

10. Life cycle
• The female places its eggs singly on the lower
surface of leaf blades.
• A life cycle (egg to adult) may take 3-6 weeks
• Annually the pest can complete up to 10
generations.

11. Seasonal occurrence
• The insects attack at the seedling and late
sown crops are attacked badly.
• the shoot fly population begins to increase in
July , peak in august- September.
• Cloudy weather favors multiplication of the
insects.

12. Economic importance
• Sorghum shoot fly is considered to be one
of the most important and destructive
pests.
• Plants are attacked at the seedling stage.
• Feeding on plants growing point may kill the
central stem, causing (dead heart).
• This symptom of infestation appear within
2-3 days after attack.
• While insect cause 12% loss in sorghum
production…shoot fly is responsible for 5%.

14. Symptoms
• Growing point / stems – dead heart
• Growing point / stems –internal feeding , boring
• Growing point / stems - odour

15. Control
CULTURAL CONTROL
• Early sowing
• Use resistant varieties
when available
• Transplanting
• Inter-cultivation /weeding
• Crop rotation /cropping system
• Field sanitation and tillage

16. Biological control
• A number of natural enemies
have been recorded
on sorghum shoot fly
• Abrolophus sp.
• Trichogramma sp.
• Trichogrammatoidea sp.

17. Chemical control
• carbofuran 3 G OR PHORATE 10g at 20
kg/ha seed furrows
• Sorghum treated seeds ( systemic
insecticide) seed feeding and seedling insect
pest

18. Thank you!!