Diatraea saccharalis

Damage to plants

• ‘Pinhole’ feeding damage and perforations on leaves unfolding from the whorl.
• Damage to the growing point of young maize plants causing unfolding leaves to wilt, die and turn white, symptoms commonly referred to as ‘dead heart’.
• Damage to the growing point also results in stunted growth or plant death.
• Severe boring of the stems weakens plants leading to crop lodging and interference with water and nutrient translocation.
• Boring in the ears, resulting in kernel damage and increased vulnerability to ear rots.

Signs

• Perforations on leaves emerging from the whorl.
• Dead heart.
• Lodging.
• Stems, midribs, tassels and ears riddled with tunnels as a result of larval boring.

Factors favoring insects / pest development

• Warm temperatures and light rainfall favor pest survival and development.
• Reduced tillage agriculture enables the pest to over winter in infested crop debris.
• Lack of natural predators.

Geographic distribution

• Diatraea genus is associated with the Gramineae of the Americas.

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