The document provides a comprehensive overview of the sorghum shoot fly, a significant pest affecting sorghum crops in Pakistan, detailing its taxonomy, life cycle, and economic impact. It highlights the symptoms of infestation, including the 'dead heart' condition, and outlines various control strategies such as cultural, biological, and chemical methods. Sorghum, an essential cereal crop, is susceptible to this pest, which can lead to substantial production losses.

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!!