Symptoms

• Aphid sucks the sap from the whorl leaves during the vegetative stage of the crop.
• It also feeds on the panicles, and produces honeydew on which sooty molds grow.
• It also transmits maize mosaic virus.
• Damage may result in the yellowing, tanning, and drying up of leaves.
• If young plants are infected, they seldom produce ears.
• The aphid colony may sometimes cover completely the emerging tassels and the surrounding leaves preventing the emergence.
• Ears and shoots are also infested and seed set may be affected. The tassel, if heavily damaged might become sterile.

Management

• Mechanical removal of infested shoots.
• Conservation of natural enemies such as coccinellids, chrysopids and syrphids that are found to feed on the aphids which will reduce the population considerably without any insecticidal spray.
• Spray Lecanicillium lecanii (synonym Verticillium lecanii ) 20 g/litre of water.

Chemical Control

Sl.No	Generic Name	Trade Name	Color code	Dosage/litre	Knapsack Sprayer (Capacity 10L)	Dosage/acre (200 L)	Dosage/hectare (500 L)
1	Dimethoate 30 EC	Nugor,Rogor, Tagor, Tara 909	Yellow	1.5 ml/1 litre of water	15 ml	264 -932 ml	660 - 2330 ml

Extremely Toxic

Highly Toxic

Moderately Toxic

Slightly Toxic