List of sorghum diseases

This article is a list of diseases of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor).

Insects
Insect pests include:

Root feeders

 * White grubs
 * Holotrichia serrata
 * Lachnosterna consanguinea
 * wireworms (Elateridae, Tenebrionidae)
 * underground burrowing bugs, Stibaropus spp.
 * termites
 * Odontotermes spp.
 * Microtermes sp.
 * ants
 * Monomorium salomonis
 * Pheidole sulcaticeps

Seedling pests

 * shoot fly, Atherigona soccata
 * cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon

Stem borers and leaf feeders

 * spotted stalk borer, Chilo partellus
 * pink borer, Sesamia inferens
 * armyworm, Mythimna separata
 * Spodoptera exempta
 * caterpillars Amsacta albistriga, Amsacta lactinea, Euproctis virguncula, Cnaphalocrocis patnalis, and Mocis frugalis
 * chrysomelid leaf beetles Chaetocnema indica, Longitarsus spp., and Phyllotreta chotonica
 * ash weevil Myllocerus undecimpustulatus maculosus
 * grasshoppers, Nomadacris septemfasciata, Acrida exaltata, Aiolopus longicornis, Aiolopus simulatrix, Aiolopus thalassinus, Atractomorpha crenulata, Chrotogonus hemipterus, Diabolocatantops axillaris, Hieroglyphus banian, and Hieroglyphus nigrorepletus
 * grasshopper Conocephalus maculatus (eastern India)
 * grasshopper Hieroglyphus nigrorepletus (western India)

Sucking pests

 * shoot bug Peregrinus maidis (transmits two viral diseases, maize mosaic virus (MMV) and maize stripe virus (MStpV))
 * corn aphid Rhopalosiphum maidis
 * sugarcane leafhopper Pyrilla perpusilla
 * hemipterous bugs, Cletus punctiger, Dolycoris indicus, Empoasca flavescens, Lygaeus spp., Menida histrio, Nephotettix virescens, and Nezara viridula
 * thrips, especially Caliothrips indicus, Sorghothrips jonnaphilus

Earhead pests

 * sorghum midge Stenodiplosis sorghicola
 * earhead bug Calocoris angustatus
 * bugs, like Dysdercus koenigii and Nezara viridula
 * lepidopteran caterpillars are found feeding on developing grains: Autoba silicula, Cryptoblabes gnidiella, Cydia spp., Conogethes punctiferalis, Ephestia cautella, Eublemma spp., Euproctis limbata, Euproctis subnotata, Helicoverpa armigera
 * maize cob borer Stenachroia elongella, especially in east India
 * beetle species, Chiloloba acuta, Mylabris pustulata, and Cylindrothorax tenuicollis

Grain pests

 * Sitophilus spp. (attacks stored grains)

Africa
The following pest species are reported for sorghum crops in northern Mali.


 * Atherigona soccata (sorghum shoot fly, a major pest): The larvae cut the growing point of the sorghum leaf.
 * Agonoscelis pubescens is also reported as a sorghum pest.
 * Busseola fusca (maize stem-borer; Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) attacks maize and sorghum, and occurs especially at higher altitudes. It is a common pest in East Africa, but has also spread to West Africa.
 * Chilo partellus (spotted stem-borer; Lepidoptera, Crambidae): introduced, from East Africa but spreading. The larvae attack sorghum and maize. Present at low and mid altitudes.
 * Contarinia sorghicola (sorghum midge or cecidomyie du sorgho in French; Diptera, Cecidomyiidae): The adult resembles mosquitoes. Larvae feed on developing ovaries of sorghum grains.
 * Melanaphis sacchari (sugar cane aphid) attacks sorghum.

Sitophilus zeamais (maize weevil) and Sitotroga cerealella (Angoumois grain moth) attack stored sorghum and maize.