Sugarcane Aphid on Sorghum

A new exotic invasive aphid known as the sugarcane aphid has damaged sorghum grown for grain and forage since August 2014. The insect reappeared in spring 2015 and 2016 and damaged sorghum throughout Georgia. The aphid feeds on the leaves and stems for grain and forage sorghum and can reach numbers exceeding 1,000 aphids per leaf. The feeding causes leaf injury and yield loss. Yield losses usually ranged from 20 to 50 percent, but fields not sprayed in time usually experienced a complete loss of production. UGA entomologists conducted a series of management and insecticide trials to provide sorghum producers information on the efficacy of insecticides for sugarcane aphid control. This research was used to obtain a Section 18 emergency use for Transform WG (sulfoxaflor) insecticide which was widely used in 2016 to control this invasive pest. The estimated cost of insecticides for sugarcane aphid control in 2015 and 2016 exceeded $1 million each year, but this control saved sorghum growers several millions of dollars in losses that would have occurred without effective control measures.