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.