Sorghum

Scientific name: Sorghum bicolor
Family: Poaceae

Growth stages	Pests
Seed
Sown seeds	Ants
Seedling Stage
Roots	Rice/Corn seedling maggot White grub Wireworm
Stem	Cutworm
Leaves	Cutworm Grasshoppers
Vegetative Stage
Leaves	Aphids Armyworm Corn borer
Reproductive Stage
Panicle	Aphids Armyworm Corn borer Corn earworm Thrips
Grain	Aphids Sorghum midge
Head	Sorghum midge
Maturation stage
Grain	Sorghum midge
Head	Sorghum midge
Postharvest and storage stage

Agro-ecology

Sorghum when rotated with cotton and soybean significantly reduces the abundance of soil pests like wireworms and white grubs. It also reduces the presence of some cutworm species which have a limited host range, long life cycle, a limited ability to move from one field to another, and have only one generation a year. To manage sorghum insect pests, it is vital to select the proper sorghum varieties. These varieties should be resistant to pests and diseases like compact panicles, should mature early and uniformly, and should be adaptive to the local environment.

Incorporate organic manure, compost, or crop wastes into the soil during land preparation to improve soil water holding capacity. This may be enough for low-yielding sorghum, but in places where organic materials are scarce, apply mineral fertilizers as supplement. The rates required depend on the ecological conditions and yield potential. However, fertilizer recommendations based on soil analysis offer the very best chance of getting the right amount of fertilizer without over or under fertilizing. Ask for assistance from the local agriculturist office for soil sampling and soil analysis procedures.

Further information

The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) holds 36,729 accessions of sorghum. It develops sorghum cultivars for direct release to farmers in specific countries. Its scientists have successfully bred improved early maturing sorghum varieties that do not only make first-class flour, but are also resistant to sorghum midge.

External links

• FAO. Sorghum bicolor. http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/AGRICULT/AGP/AGPC/doc/GBASE/Data/pf000319.HTM
• Wisconsin Corn Agronomy. Alternative field crops manual. http://corn.agronomy.wisc.edu/AlternativeCrops/Manual.htm
• IFAS. Cover crops. http://agroecology.ifas.ufl.edu/Cover%20Crop%20page.htm
• Mississippi State University. Crops: Sorghum. What are the growth stages for grain sorghum? http://www.msucares.com/crops/sorghum/growth.html
• FAO. Field food crops. http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/field/field.htm
• IPM Images. Grain sorghum and small grains. http://www.ipmimages.org/browse/bsubject.cfm?id=28
• Texas A&M University Entomology. Insect pests of Sorghum. http://sorghumipm.tamu.edu/
• Kansas State University, Dept. of Entomology, Sorghum insect photos. http://insects.tamu.edu/images/insects/color/sorghum/sorghum.html
• ICRISAT. Sorghum. http://www.icrisat.org/sorghum/sorghum.htm
• CGIAR. Sorghum. http://www.cgiar.org/impact/research/sorghum.html

References

• CABI. (2001): Crop protection compendium. Global module, 3rd edition. CAB International Publishing. Wallingford, UK.
• PCCARD. (1977): The Philippines Recommends for Sorghum. PCCARD. Manila, Philippines
• Teetes, G.; Pendleton, B. (1999): Insect pests of sorghum. Department of Entomology. Texas A&M University.
• Youdeowei, A. (2002): Integrated pest management practices for the production of cereals and pulses. Integrated Pest Management Extension Guide 2; Series editors: A. Cudjoe and M. Braun; Ministry of Food and Agriculture, GTZ and CTA.