Battle Of The Bugs: A Guide For Managing Sorghum Ear Head Bug

A dangerous pest known as the sorghum ear head bug ☠️ affects sorghum crops all around the world. They consume the developing grains and other reproductive parts of the sorghum plant. The crop may suffer serious harm from the bugs' eating behavior 🌾🐜, which will diminish yields and quality. When there is a strong infestation 🦠, the impact can entirely kill the grains that are growing 🌾💀, causing farmers to suffer huge losses. 🌾🚫🦗

Type of Infestation

By sucking the sap from the grains, the sorghum ear head bug infests the plant 🌱🪰, damaging the seed coat, kernel, and embryo. Grain yield, quality, and weight are all affected by this 🌾📉.

Scientific Name: Calocoris angustatus 

Most Affected States

In India, sorghum crops are severely harmed by the sorghum ear head bug. The pest is present in practically all of the states where sorghum is grown, although the most severely affected are Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

Symptoms of Sorghum Ear Head Bug

• Sorghum crops are severely harmed by the sorghum ear head bug 🌽🪲, which can be detected by a number of signs. The following are the most typical signs of sorghum ear head insect infestations 🕵️‍♂️:
• Both nymphs and adult bugs ingest the juice from grains during the milky stage 🍼🍂.
• Shrinkage and a blackening of the grain's color are effects of sucking 🌑🌾.
• Grain that has been infected becomes sick or chaffy 🤢🌾.
• Older grains will have obvious feeding holes that can reduce their general quality 🕳️🌾.

Control Measures

Follow the integrated management approaches listed below, which include cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical techniques, to effectively control the sorghum ear head insect. 

Cultural Measures

• Sorghum resistant varieties such as IS 1760, IS 17645, BBR-1 (ICS V239), CSM 388, and Chencholam should be grown. 
• The number of ear head bugs is decreased by using non-host crops in crop rotation. 
• Early planting reduces the possibility that the flowering time will coincide with the ear head insect population's peak activity.  
• Sorghum plants' vulnerability to ear head insect assaults can also be decreased with proper nutrition management, which includes balanced fertilization and irrigation. 

Physical Measures

• The earhead bugs can be captured by installing Solar Light Traps in sorghum crops. Install one light trap per acre to effectively trap animals. 

Mechanical Measures

• Gather and eliminate the highly affected plants. 
• The sorghum earhead bugs can be captured and eliminated with the use of the Tapas Yellow Sticky Trap. Install 4 to 6 traps per acre to reduce the population of earhead bugs. 

Biological Measures

• Encourage natural predators to target earhead bugs, including spiders, coccinellid beetles, and dragonflies. 
• Greenpeace Neemol Bio Neem Oil Insecticide contains azadirachtin, a neem-based substance that, when applied to sorghum fields at a rate of 1-2ml per liter of water with a 15-day gap between each spray, can successfully control ear head bugs.. 

Chemical Measures

Commercial chemicals used for controlling sorghum ear head bugs are mentioned below,