Sorghum (Shoot fly)

Shootfly: ?Atherigona varia soccata As you can see in the maggot burrows into the stem, it damages the plant's growing point. This leads to the central shoots drying out and creating what's known as the "dead heart" symptom. As a result, the affected plant starts producing side tillers and retards the plant growth.

Management

• Take up early sowing of sorghum immediately after the receipt of South West or North East monsoon to minimise the shoot fly incidence.
• Use seeds pelleted with insecticides.
• Seed treatment with imidacloprid 70 WS @ 10 g/kg of seeds.
• Plough soon after harvest, remove and destroy the stubbles.

In main field for direct sown crop spray any one of the following

• Methyl demeton 25 EC 500 ml/ha
• Dimethoate 30 EC 500 ml/ha
• Neem Seed Kernel extract 5%
• Soil application of phorate 10 G 18 kg/ha or carbofuran @ 33.3 kg /ha at the time of sowing.

As you can see in this pictures clearly visible the infected part of the sorghum plant from shoot part.