An aphid pest once thought only to feed on sugarcane has recently found its way onto all of the main sorghum growing regions in the United States. Sorghum growers affected by the pest have been actively searching for additional options to help mitigate the damage.

Third-party evaluation performed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Stillwater, Okla., has confirmed that two DEKALB® Sorghum products, DKS37-07 variety & PULSAR brand, exhibit a high level of  genetic tolerance to the sugarcane aphid.

In the screening evaluation, both products showed extremely low levels of chlorotic damage from the sugarcane aphid compared to the known tolerant check line TX2783. Additionally, DKS37-07 showed very positive plant height and early health ratings when exposed to the pest. These products combined with continued scouting and an effective spray program as needed, will give growers the best opportunity to limit sugarcane aphid damage on their farms.

“We were very glad to see that these results confirm what we were hearing from our customers last year, and having this tolerance available in the seed should offer a distinct advantage for our growers,” said Joe Whitworth, specialty crops product manager at Monsanto Company.