Relative efficacy of carbofuran seed treatment and granular formulation of systemic insecticides for the control of sorghum shootfly

Since spray or dust applications do not give satisfactory control of Atherigona soccata Rond. on sorghum in India, field tests were carried out at Delhi and Udaipur with carbofuran as seed treatments at 8-16 g of 50% soluble powder/100 g seed and with carbofuran, mephosfolan, phorate and disulfoton (thiodemeton) as granules in the seed furrows at 0.75-1.5 g, 1.5 g, 1.5 g and 3 g toxicant/m of row, respectively. All the compounds and formulations gave effective control, as determined by number of dead-hearts, weight of grain yield and weight of fodder yield. The results appeared better at Udaipur, because of the heavier shootfly infestations there, than at Delhi, and comparison of the economics of the treatments at the 2 localities indicated that, in severe and moderately severe infestations, it is economically beneficial to use even the more expensive granular formulations