pests of millets

1. Pests of Sorghum Finger millet and
Pearl millet
A.Murugan
Bsc.,Agriculture

2. Pests of sorghum - Borers
Shoot fly Atherigona varia
soccata
Muscidae Diptera
Stem borer Chilo partellus Crambidae Lepidoptera
Pink stem borer Sesamia inferens Noctuidae Lepidoptera

3. 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

4. Sucking pests
Shoot bug Peregrinus maidis Delphacidae Hemiptera
Plant lice Rhopalosiphum
maidis
Aphididae Hemiptera

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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.

11. Pests of pearl millet - Borers
Shoot fly Atherigonia
approximata
Muscidae Coleoptera
Stem borer Chilo partellus Crambidae Lepidoptera
Pink stem borer Sesamia inferens Noctuidae Lepidoptera

12. Defoliators
Leaf beetle Lema downsei Galerucidae Coleoptera
Black hairy
caterpillar
Estigmene lactinea Arctiidae Lepidoptera
Wingless
grasshopper
Neorthacris simulans Acrididae Orthoptera

13. Earhead feeders
Grain midge Geromyia penniseti Cecidomyiidae Diptera
Semilooper Antoba silicula Noctuidae Lepidoptera
Stink bug Nezara viridula Pentatomidae Hemiptera

14. 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

15. 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

16. Stink bug – Nezara viridula
 Grains became chaffy or spotted black or shriveled
 Bug emanates a stinking smell
Management :
 Apply carbaryl 50wp @ 750g/ha

17. 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.

18. Pests of Finger millet
Pink stem borer Sesamia inferens Nhoctuidae Lepidoptera
White borer Saluria inficita Phycitidae Lepidoptera

19. Defoliators
Cut worm Spodoptera exigua Noctuidae Lepidoptera
Flea beetle Chaetocnema
pusaensis
Alticidae Coleoptera

20. Root feeders
Root aphid Tetraneura
nigriabdominalis
Aphididae Hemiptera
Root grub Holotrichia
consanguinea
Melolonthidae Coleoptera

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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%

24. 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%

25. 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%

26. Earhead caterpillars- Sitotroga cerealella
 Larvae feed on the developing grains
Management :
 Carbaryl 50 WP @1500g/ha at milky stage

27. 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 .

28. 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.

29. 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.