RALEIGH — Gary Cross, Ag Agent in Granville and Person counties has reported seeing sugarcane aphid on one of its hosts, Johnsongrass. Although no aphids have been reported on sorghum in North Carolina this year (May 16, 2017), most of our crop is just going in the ground. We reported sugarcane aphid on July 28 during 2015 (article here) and July 6 during 2016 (article here) in more southern counties of the state.
Since we know this insect is already present in northern counties of the state, growers might consider using an insecticidal seed treatment for 2017. According to the Sorghum Checkoff, an insecticidal seed treatment can provide up to 40 days of control (click here for the webpage and here for a video covering this information). Extension specialists in the Midsouth have been recommending this for a couple years. Using an insecticidal seed treatment could provide us some space before we need to use a foliar overspray. Note that Sivanto Prime and Transform WG (Section 18 for 2017 approved) are again the recommended foliar insecticides for use in NC during 2017.
— Dr. Dominic Reisig
Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
Entomology and Plant Pathology – NC State University
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