Impact of Planting Date and Insecticide Application Methods on Melanaphis sorghi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Infestation and Forage Type Sorghum Yield

Studies on the management of the invasive Melanaphis sorghi are essential to refining integrated pest management strategies against M. sorghi in forage sorghum in the USA. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of planting date (early planting and late planting) and in-furrow and foliar insecticide application of flupyradifurone, on M. sorghi infestation and forage sorghum yield in Tifton, Georgia and Florence, South Carolina, USA, in 2020 and 2021. Early planted sorghum supported slightly higher aphid density and severity of infestation as evident in the greater cumulative insect days values in the early planted sorghum at both Florence and Tifton in 2020 and 2021. A single foliar application reduced aphid infestations below the threshold level of 50 aphids per leaf. In contrast, in-furrow insecticidal application in selected plots at both locations significantly suppressed M. sorghi density to near-zero levels. Yield results in Florence in 2020 showed that sorghum yield was over 50% greater in early planted plots compared to late planted plots. Both insecticide treatments (foliar and in-furrow) resulted in significantly higher yield than untreated plots. These data indicate that early planting coupled with in-furrow and foliar insecticide applications can suppress M. sorghi infestations and improve silage production in forage sorghum in the USA.