Abstract
Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) was introduced recently into Greece and is being cultivated experimentally for the production of liquid biofuel. A pilot survey was conducted in October 2005 to provide information on the species composition and density of its lepidopterous stem borers, which appear to cause severe losses in production. The dominant pest in that season wasSesamia nonagrioides Lefebvre, with a mean density of 1.41 larvae per plant. Larvae were sampled from various plant internodes and found to have a preference for the lower ones. Analysis of variance showed no significant effects on larval density of the irrigation levels or of the organic — conventional soil fertilization method. A significant negative correlation was found between the body length ofS. nonagrioides larvae and the internode from which they were retrieved. This is the first published report of sorghum borer pests in Greece.
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http://www.phytoparasitica.org posting Feb. 7, 2007.
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Dimou, I., Pitta, E. & Angelopoulos, K. Note: Corn stalk borer (Sesamia nonagrioides) infestation on sorghum in central Greece. Phytoparasitica 35, 191–193 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02981113
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02981113