Effects of time of planting, fertilizer and insecticide on sorghum shoot fly, Atherigona soccata (Diptera: Muscidae), on two varieties of sorghum

Used individually, pesticides, biological control agents, cultural practices and host plant resistance have either not been effective or are not sustainable in control of the sorghum shoot fly, Atherigona soccata Rondani (Diptera: Muscidae). An experiment, with seed sown in September and October 2002, to determine the effect of a combination of variety, fertilizer, insecticide and time of planting on incidence of A. soccata, and yield, and yield components of sorghum, Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench, was conducted in Ugunja, western Kenya. Two varieties of sorghum were used, Ohunjo and Serena, susceptible and resistant varieties, respectively. Although results were variable amongst the different combination of factors tested, it was found that incidence of A. soccata was lowered and sorghum grain yield increased through the manipulation of management practices such as genotype selection, fertilizer and insecticide application.