Busseola fusca (Fuller), the African maize stalk borer: a handbook of information.

This two-part of publication provides a comprehensive review of the biology and management of Busseola fusca (Fuller), the African maize stalk borer. The information is presented under subheadings of pest status and crop loss assessment, taxonomic descriptions, pest biology and ecology. Pest management practices involving a range of options—cultural, plant resistance, biological, legislative, and chemical methods—are also reviewed. Part 2 contains an annotated bibliography of nearly 400 references published between 1900 and 1990

Management Options for Sorghum Stem Borers for Farmers in the Semi-Arid Tropics

Currently recommended control measures against sorghum stem borers are briefly reviewed. Successful methods applied in developed countries have been tested at research stations in developing countries and recommended to farmers in the semi-arid tropics. The extent of their use by farmers is assessed and farm-and sector-level constraints to adaptation are evaluated. An approach for farmer-oriented research on control methods is suggested

A simple head cage technique for monitoring sorghum midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae)

A head cage technique for monitoring populations of Stenodiplosis sorghicola, a variant of the type previously described for screening sorghum genotypes for resistance, was developed. The technique was effective and efficient in collecting adults from flowering sorghum panicles under field conditions in Andhra Pradesh, India. Adults emerged over 2-3 weeks during the 1992-93 post-rainy and 1-2 weeks during the 1993 rainy season. The activity (density) of S. sorghicola was higher during the rainy than during the post-rainy seaso

Tritrophic interactions in sorghum, midge (Stenodiplosis sorghicola) and its parasitoid (Aprostocetus spp.)

Studies were conducted on tritrophic interactions involving sorghum genotypes, Stenodiplosis sorghicola and the predominant parasitoids (Aprostocetus spp.) in Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India, using three midge resistant (ICSV 745, ICSV 89058 and IS 10712) and three susceptible (Swarna, CSH 9 and ICSV 112) genotypes during the post-rainy (1992/93) and rainy (1993) seasons. A. coimbatorensis, the predominant parasitoid during post-rainy season, preferred mid-late midge larvae for parasitization, while A. gala, which was predominant during the rainy season, preferred early-mid larval stages. Variations in the preference of A. coimbatorensis and A. gala for the developmental stage of their host larvae indicated good prospects for the biological control of sorghum midge populations. There were significant differences in parasitization level of midge by Aprostocetus spp. between resistant and susceptible sorghum genotypes, and season. Higher parasitization was observed on susceptible genotypes than on resistant ones during both post-rainy and rainy seasons. However, the level of parasitization was greater in post-rainy than in rainy seasons. There was also evidence of higher midge infestation in rainy than in post-rainy seasons. Susceptible genotypes attracted more parasitoids because of high levels of midge infestations. Low parasitoid density in midge resistant sorghum under glasshouse and field conditions was associated with low midge infestations in these genotypes. However, parasitoids were always associated with their host in spite of low midge densities in resistant genotypes. The present study revealed that the interaction between host plant resistance and parasitoids of sorghum midge would thus be synergistic and complementary and could result in successful integration of these two important pest management tactics

Emergence pattern of sorghum midge and its major parasitoids on midge-resistant and susceptible genotypes

Studies were conducted on the species composition of parasitoids of Stenodiplosis sorghicola, emergence pattern and level of parasitism. The studies were carried out in Andhra Pradesh, India, with three midge-resistant (ICSV 745, ICSV 89058 and IS 10712) and three susceptible (Swarna, CSH 9 and ICSV 112) sorghum genotypes during the 1992-93 post-rainy and 1993 rainy seasons. The species of parasitoids collected were Aprostocetus gala, A. coimbatorensis and Eupelmus spp. The species composition varied with the season, but was unaffected by varietal resistance and susceptibility to the midge. Although both species of Aprostocetus were present in rainy and post-rainy seasons, A. gala was predominant during the rainy season whereas A. Coimbatorensis was predominant in the post-rainy season. There was no significant difference in the pattern of parasitoid emergence or the level of midge parasitization between resistant and susceptible genotypes. These results indicate that resistance to midge in the genotypes studied was not antagonistic to parasitoid activity, and that there is potential to interface biological control with host-plant resistance in the management of this insect

Resistance in sorghum to the shoot fly, Atherigona soccata: epicuticular wax and wetness of the central whorl leaf of young seedlings

Sorghum genotypes known to be resistant or susceptible to shoot fly, Atherigona soccata Rondani were examined by scanning electron microscopy for differences in epicuticular wax structure and wetness of the central leaf whorl. Two major types of wax structures were observed: shoot fly resistant and moderately resistant genotypes were characterised by a smooth amorphous wax layer and sparse wax crystals while susceptible genotypes possessed a dense meshwork of crystalline epicuticular wax. The density of wax crystals decreased from the third leaf to the seventh leaf stage and was related to both seedling age and leaf position. Water droplets on susceptible genotypes with dense wax crystals showed spreading at the edges indicating a tendency to wet easily. In resistant genotypes with less dense wax crystals the droplets remained intact and did not spread

Genomic-Assisted Enhancement in Stress Tolerance for Productivity Improvement in Sorghum

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], the fifth most important cereal crop in the world after wheat, rice, maize, and barley, is a multipurpose crop widely grown for food, feed, fodder, forage, and fuel, vital to the food security of many of the world’s poorest people living in fragile agroecological zones. Globally, sorghum is grown on ~42 million hectares area in ~100 countries of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Sorghum grain is used mostly as food (~55%), in the form of flat breads and porridges in Asia and Africa, and as feed (~33%) in the Americas. Stover of sorghum is an increasingly important source of dry season fodder for livestock, especially in South Asia. In India, area under sorghum cultivation has been drastically come down to less than one third in the last six decades but with a limited reduction in total production suggesting the high-yield potential of this crop. Sorghum productivity is far lower compared to its genetic potential owing to a limited exploitation of genetic and genomic resources developed in the recent past. Sorghum production is challenged by various abiotic and biotic stresses leading to a significant reduction in yield. Advances in modern genetics and genomics resources and tools could potentially help to further strengthen sorghum production by accelerating the rate of genetic gains and expediting the breeding cycle to develop cultivars with enhanced yield stability under stress. This chapter reviews the advances made in generating the genetic and genomics resources in sorghum and their interventions in improving the yield stability under abiotic and biotic stresses to improve the productivity of this climate-smart cereal