Sorghum maturity in the Mid-Coast of Texas ranges from flag leaf to soft dough. Insect pests of importance include sugarcane aphids, sorghum midge, stink bugs and headworms.

We continue to find occasional fields with economic populations of sugarcane aphids. All fields should be scouted for aphids regardless of the hybrid planted. Scout by checking the underside of leaves, especially lower on the plant. Check 10-20 at each of 5-10 locations per field. Look for honeydew on leaves and check those plants and surrounding plants. When you find small spots of 3-4 plants with excessive honey dew, mark that location and return 2-3 days later to determine if the infestation has grown or not.

Blooming sorghum should be checked for sorghum midge which tend to be more of a problem in later blooming sorghum. An economic threshold of 1 per 1-2 heads should trigger control applications.

Check older heads for headworms and stink bugs using a bucket to beat the heads into. I made a short video to demonstrate the use of the bucket for sampling sorghum heads HERE.

Crop tour dates are as follows:
Victoria County Crops Tour –  June 13

Refugio County Crops Tours – June 14

Calhoun County Crops Tour – June 15