PESTS OF PEARL MILLET :: Major Pests :: Pink Stem Borer
3. Pink stem borer: Sesamia inferens (Noctuidae: Lepidoptera)
Distribution and status: India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Burma, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South East Asia, China, Korea, Japan and Indonesia.
Host range: Sorghum, maize, rice, wheat, sugarcane, bajra and ragi, barley, guinea grasses
Damage symptoms: Pink larva enters into the stem causing dead heart symptom.
Bionomics: The adult moth is a straw coloured moth with white wings. The larva is pinkish brown with dark head. The life cycle is completed in 45-75 days. There are 4-6 generations per year.
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