Hi, in the northern part of South Sudan, millipedes are causing serious crop damage to sorghum. They live deep in the ground over dry season and then come up at night in the rainy season. They kill the young sorghum plants. It has been about 6 years since the problem started. And it is getting worse. What options are there to mitigate this pest?
A local agronomist says that carbofuran can control it, but I hate to recommend such a dangerous chemical.
@David_Uhr , @Noah_Elhardt , and @Grace_Brinsfield do you have any thoughts given your experience in Senegal?
First off, the growing of sorghum as a monoculture is not natural or wise, so any variations in the planting scheme will save a lot of grief. Secondly, I know that slugs can be attracted by a night light over a pan of water as shown: Is there a natural attractant, that the millepedes like which could be used in a similar way?
Mike they are a very serious problem in groundnuts as well in South Sudan. Millipedes can pose a significant threat to young sorghum plants, especially in areas like South Sudan where environmental conditions may favor their population growth. Here are some effective strategies to control millipedes and protect young sorghum plants: I pulled this from Chat GPT but you might try a bucket of organic matter and add water and scatter wads of that material at intervals around the field and then just have kids collect them and termites that accumulate there and feed them to the chickens. The systemic insecticide would be a very easy solution. What you can’t get in South Sudan you can get in Kampala if you have a friend that can bus it up to you.
Crop Residue Management
• Clear plant debris: Millipedes often hide and breed in decaying organic matter. Remove crop residues and weeds from the field before planting to reduce their habitat.
• Burn or compost residues: Properly dispose of plant materials to destroy potential breeding sites.
Planting Timing
• Early planting: If millipede activity is high early in the season, delay planting until the millipede population decreases. Alternatively, plant early to allow plants to grow stronger before millipedes become active.
Soil Tillage
• Deep plowing: Plow the soil before planting to disrupt millipede habitats, expose them to predators, and reduce their numbers.
Physical Barriers
• Use seedling collars: Protect young sorghum plants with plastic or metal collars around the base of seedlings to deter millipedes.
• Traps: Set up moist traps (such as damp burlap sacks or wooden boards) to attract millipedes overnight. Collect and destroy them daily.
Biological Control
• Encourage natural predators: Birds, ants, and ground beetles feed on millipedes. Create an environment that attracts these predators.
• Nematodes: Use beneficial nematodes (like Steinernema species) to target millipedes in the soil.
Chemical Control
Seed Treatments
• Insecticidal seed coatings: Treat seeds with systemic insecticides like thiamethoxam or imidacloprid before planting. These protect seedlings during their vulnerable early stages.
Soil Insecticides
• Apply soil granules or drenches: Use products like carbaryl or chlorpyrifos applied to the soil before planting to reduce millipede numbers. Follow local regulations for safe use.
Baits
• Create baits using carbaryl or other approved insecticides. Mix these with moist organic matter (e.g., bran or sawdust) to attract and kill millipedes.
Moisture Management
• Reduce excessive moisture: Millipedes thrive in wet conditions. Avoid over-irrigating fields and ensure proper drainage.
Resistant Varieties
• Plant sorghum varieties that are more resistant to pest damage, as they may be less susceptible to millipede attacks.
Integrated Approach
Combine multiple strategies (cultural, physical, biological, and chemical) for effective and sustainable millipede control. Regular monitoring and prompt action are critical to minimize damage and ensure young sorghum plants survive and thrive.
Hi Stacy, I work at Beersheba Farm in Senegal with Noah and I know Grace as well. David has been here to help us do research against the millipede pressure. While there are steps we can do to mitigate our pressure, we haven’t found a long term sustainable solution. We know they thrive in moist environments so keeping a mulch cover off your field and putting the mulch instead around your field will attract the millipedes away your field where you are growing your crops. However, the mulch serves other valuable purposes including water retention, better infiltration, cooler soil temps, adding to better soil health, etc… and so getting rid of the blanket presents other problems. Millipedes in our region will eat the seeds before they germinate. The ones that do survive the germination stage are often cut at the stems before the stems harden off. If they survive that, the millipedes will still climb the stalks and attack the maize before it matures. I think the best remedy would be to find a predator that would would reduce the millipede population significantly and would be a realistic solution for a local farmer. Sending chickens or ducks into your field may eliminate a few millipedes, but when there are millions and you have a hectare that you are planting, you would need a lot of chickens and ducks (not really a viable solution). The better option would be to figure out what we might be able to treat the seeds or the plant with that would really detour the millipedes. We’ve tried a number of organic options such as neem, tobacco, papaya, milkweed, peppers, etc… It could be that we just haven’t found the right concentration or combination yet. However, finding a good seed/plant treatment would be ideal.
Mike, I feel you pain!
