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PESTS OF MAIZE :: 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, ragi and guinea grass.

 

Damage symptoms: Pink larva enters into the stem causing dead heart symptom similar to that of stem borer.

 

 

Bionomics: The adult moth is straw-coloured 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.

 

Management

  • Grow resistant cultivars like Deccan 101 and 103
Spray endosulfan 35 EC 1.0 L/ha. at every 20 days interval after germination of the crop.