List of pearl millet diseases
This article is a list of diseases of pearl millet.
Nematodes, parasitic
Insects
Insect pests include:;Seedling pests
- shoot fly Atherigona approximata
- Atherigona soccata, Atherigona oryzae, Atherigona punctata, Atherigona ponti, and Atherigona yorki
- anthomyiid flies Delia arambourgi and Delia flavibasis
- lepidopteran borers: Chilo partellus, Chilo infuscatellus, Sesamia calamistis, Sesamia cretica, Sesamia inferens, Diatraea grandiosella, Coniesta ignefusalis, Busseola fusca, Eldana saccharina, Ostrinia furnacalis, and Ostrinia nubilalis
- lepidopteran caterpillars: Amsacta moorei, Mythimna loreyi, Mythimna separata, Cnaphalocrocis medinalis, Cnaphalocrocis patnalis, Spodoptera exigua, Spodoptera frugiperda, Spodoptera mauritia, Autoba silicula
- grasshoppers: Diabolocatantops axillaris, Hieroglyphus banian, Hieroglyphus daganensis, Oedaleus senegalensis, and Schistocerca gregaria
- bugs: Blissus leucopterus, Nysius niger
- hoppers: Cicadulina mbila, Cicadulina storeyi, and Pyrilla perpusilla
- aphids: Rhopalosiphum maidis, Sitobion miscanthi, and Hyalopterus pruni
- beetle Chiloloba acuta
- millet midge Geromyia penniseti
- Euproctis spp., Orvasca subnotata, and Helicoverpa armigera
- Spodoptera exempta, Spilarctia obliqua, Pachnoda interrupta, Phyllophaga spp., Thrips hawaiiensis, Myllocerus spp., and Peregrinus maidis
- Holotrichia consanguinea and Holotrichia serrata
- ''Tribolium castaneum''
Africa
The larvae of several insect species, primarily belonging to the orders Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Hemiptera, as well as Orthoptera adults, are persistent pearl millet pests in the Sahel. The following pest species are reported for northern Mali.- Coniesta ignefusalis attacks pearl millet, and also sorghum and maize, especially in the Sahel. It is the main pearl millet pest in Senegal.
- Heliocheilus albipunctella attacks pearl millet. The larvae bore in a spiral path, destroying florets or grain.
- Geromyia penniseti : The larvae eat the developing grain and form white pupal cases attached to the tips of spikelets. Reported losses in Senegal are as high as 90 percent.
- Pachnoda interrupta
- Psalydolytta fusca and Psalydolytta vestita attack pearl millet. They are major millet pests in Mali.
- Rhinyptia infuscata is a nocturnal beetle, recorded as a locally important pest on millet flowers in Niger. Farmers in Niger often fight the species using fires set at night. It is also reported as sorghum pest in Senegal, and as a pest on maize, where the larvae attack the roots.
- Sesamia calamistis, especially in lowland forests. This species and the sugarcane borer are the primary pests of the pearl millet in Ivory Coast.
- gall midges : millet grain midge, sorghum midge, and African rice gall midge.
- Dysdercus volkeri attacks flowers.
In northern Ghana, Poophilus costalis is reported as a millet pest, as well as Dysdercus volkeri, Heliocheilus albipunctella, Coniesta ignefusalis, and caterpillars of Amsacta moloneyi and Helicoverpa armigera.
In northern Nigeria, heavy infestations of Hycleus species, including Hycleus terminatus, Hycleus fimbriatus, Hycleus hermanniae, and Hycleus chevrolati, have affected early plantings of pearl millet crops.
Other regions
In South India, pests include the shoot fly Atherigona approximata.In North America, regular pests include the chinch bug Blissus leucopterus.