Pests affecting wheat crops can significantly reduce yield and quality if not managed properly. Here are some common pests that affect wheat: Aphids: These small insects feed on the sap of wheat plants, causing stunted growth, yellowing of leaves, and reduced yield. They also transmit viral diseases. Armyworms: Armyworm larvae can cause severe damage by feeding on leaves, stems, and heads of wheat plants, leading to reduced yield and quality. Hessian Fly: Hessian fly larvae feed on wheat plants, causing "flattened" or "stunted" appearance of plants, and reducing yield. Wireworms: Wireworms are the larvae of click beetles and they feed on wheat seeds and roots, causing damage to seedlings and reducing stand establishment. Cutworms: Cutworm larvae feed on young wheat seedlings, cutting them off at ground level and causing stand loss. Grain Weevils: These pests infest stored wheat grains, causing damage and reducing grain quality. Sawfly: The wheat stem sawfly larvae bore into wheat stems, causing lodging and yield loss. Wheat Midge: Wheat midge larvae feed on developing wheat kernels, causing shriveled, damaged grains and reduced yield. Thrips: Thrips feed on wheat leaves, causing silvering or streaking of leaves and reducing photosynthetic efficiency. Spider Mites: Spider mites feed on wheat leaves, sucking sap and causing yellowing and stippling of leaves, which can reduce yield if populations are high. It's essential for farmers to monitor wheat fields regularly and employ integrated pest management strategies to control these pests effectively. This may involve using cultural practices, resistant varieties, biological controls, and judicious use of pesticides when necessary to minimize pest damage while preserving environmental and human health.

1. Pests of wheat
By
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD.
Assistant Professor (Entomology)
JSACAT
Affiliated to Tamil Nadu Agricultural University

2. Borers pests of wheat

3. Shoot fly, Atherigona simplex, Muscidae, Diptera
Symptoms
Dead heart
The attacked plants become unhealthy,
stunted and yellow.
Geographical distribution: distributed in all
biogeographic regions
1
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

4. Eggs - white, elongate, flattened and
somewhat boat shaped. Lay eggs on
the lower surface of leaves
Small whitish yellow coloured
fly
Pupates at the base of the
stem or in soil
Maggot dirty white to
yellow
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Binomics

5. Management
•ETL: 10% dead hearts
•Take up early sowing of sorghum immediately after the receipt of
South West or North East monsoon.
•Seed treatment with imidacloprid 70 WS @ 10 g/kg of seeds
•Set up the fish meal trap @ 12/ha
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

6. Pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens, Noctuidae,
Lepidoptera
Nature/Symptoms of damage
Pink larva enters into the stem
causing dead heart symptom
Distribution: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, China, Malaysia,
Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
2
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

7. Bead like laid in rows within the leaf sheath Pinkish brown with dark head
Straw coloured moth with white hind wings
Light yellow brown to dark red brown
Pupate in either stem or soil
Management
Spray phosalone 35%EC at every 20 days interval
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Binomics

8. Defoliators of wheat

9. Cutworm, Mythimna separata,
Black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon, Noctuidae,
Lepidoptera
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China, Japan, South-east Asia, India, eastern Australia, New Zealand, and some Pacific islands
Attack in maize along with others
crops like rice, sorghum, sugarcane,
oats, wheat etc. may cause the
damage of foliage parts.
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Paddy armyworm, Mythimna separata
Black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon

10. Yellow hairy caterpillar, Psalis pennatula,
Lymantriidae, Lepidoptera
Nature of damage : Larva feed on leaves
Symptoms of damage : Defoliation
4
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Australia
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

11. Yellow coloured pubescent eggs are
found in groups on leaf surface
Yellow brown with red stripes and tuft of hairs all
over body
Pale white cocoon
Moth is stout and straw-
coloured with longitudinal
dark band on fore wings.
Management:
Spray the crop with chlorpyriphos 20 EC 500 ml/ac
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

12. Ash weevil, Myllocerus spp., Curculionidae,
Coleoptera
Symptom of damage
Larva feeds on the
secondary roots
Adults feeds on leaves,
notching symptom
Adult
M. discolour
Myllocerus spp. Distribution: India, and Sri Lanka.
5
Management
Collect and destroy adults
Apply Neem cake @ 500 kg/ha at the
time of last ploughing
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
M. maculosus

13. Earhead feeders of wheat

14. Plant bug, Dolycoris indicus, Pentatomidae,
Hemiptera
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Distribution: India - Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha
Both nymphs and adults suck the seeds causing
shrivelling of seeds
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

15. Red spotted bug, Menida histrio, Pentatomidae,
Hemiptera
7
Small dot like
discoloration on the
grains
Nature of damage
Symptoms
Both adult and nymph suck the sap/ milk of
developing rice grain. Grain discoloration is
caused by subsequent infections of pathogenic
fungi or bacteria.
Egg: Eggs are laid in masses
of 2-6 on leaves.
Nymph: Nymphs are dark
brown.
Adult: It is a small brown bug
with red and yellow spots.
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Binomics
Distribution: India, South Japan to oriental region
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa

16. Sucking pests of wheat

17. Thrips, Anaphothrips sudanensis, Thripidae,
Thysanoptera
Nature of damage
Both the adults and nymphs
lacerate the tender leaves and
suck up the plant sap.
8
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Distribution: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

18. Pronotum Meso- and
metanotum
Fore wing
with dark
band
Tergites I-III
8-segmented
antenna,
sense cone,
Head dorsal with
ocellar triangle
Tergites VIII-XI, tergite VIII
with posteromarginal
microtrichial comb
Bicolored female and wingless male

19. Aphid, Rhopalosiphum maidis, Macrosiphum
miscanthi, Schizaphis graminum, Melanaphis
sacchari, Aphididae, Hemiptera
Symptom of damage
Yellowing of leaves. Colonies of aphids found in central leaf whorl
The aphid is cosmopolitan in distribution throughout the tropics, subtropics and warmer temperate
regions.
9
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Rhopalosiphum maidis Macrosiphum miscanthi Schizaphis graminum Melanaphis sacchari

20. Management
Seed treatment with thiamethoxam 70%WS @ 3.5 g/kg seed
Conservation of natural enemies such as coccinellids,
chrysopids and syrphids
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

21. Leaf hopper, Pyrilla perpusilla, Lophopidae,
Hemiptera
Widely distributed in india including in bihar, haryana, uttar pradesh, punjab, and madhya pradesh than
in peninsular india.
Symptom of damage
Leaves become yellow
Covered with black sooty mould
Soft, pale brown
dorsally and pale
orange ventrally
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Adult - Straw coloured,
head pointing forward as
a snout
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

22. Management
Avoid excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers
Set up light trap @ 1/ha
Release lepidopteran parasitoid
Epiricania melanoleuca @8000 -10,000 cocoon /ha.
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)

23. Subterranean pests of wheat

24. Termite, Microtermus obesi, Odontotermus obesus,
Termitidae, Isoptera
11
Dr. U. Pirithiraj, P.hD. (Entomology)
Microtermus obesi Odontotermus obesus
Native to India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Vietnam
Microtermes obesi (wheat termite) is a
small species of termite
The damaged plants dry up completely and
are easily pulled out. The plants damaged at
later stages give rise to white ears.
Yellow cream colored with
dark head
Workers more active in the
morning and evening
White cream colored with dark
head