Sugarcane Aphid Alert

Sept. 9, 2015

Be on the lookout for sugarcane aphids in south central Nebraska sorghum. This new pest has moved north through Kansas this summer and is within one county of Nebraska.

While it's not likely to damage the current crop, we would like to document when it reaches Nebraska. This information may be helpful if special pesticide registrations are requested to treat sugarcane aphids in the 2016 sorghum crop.

For photos and information on how to identify these aphids see Be on Guard for Sugarcane Aphids in Sorghum.

Sugarcane aphids are likely to be found primarily in sorghum, but also may be found in other plants in the genus sorghum, including  shattercane or Johnsongass, and occasionally other grasses. It's been found on corn in the south, but generally not at economic levels.

If you find aphids on sorghum that you suspect may be sugarcane aphids, please submit a sample to the UNL Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic so we can document the presence of this aphid in Nebraska.

For more information on the Kansas outbreak, see this KSU News article.