Wheat Diseases and Pests - Wheat Doctor - CIMMYT

Sawfly
Cephus cinctus
Symptoms: Damage by sawflies includes
premature yellowing of the head and shrivelling of
the grain. The larvae girdle the stem (73) and,
later in the crop cycle, lodging is common.
Life Cycle: Sawflies produce one generation per
year. The larvae overwinter in the straw (74); in
the spring they pupate. Adult sawflies are small,
fly-like wasps and appear from late spring to
midsummer. The females deposit small white eggs
in the upper nodes of stems just below the heads.
Upon hatching, the legless white larvae bore into
the stem and tunnel downward, feeding on the
pith of the stem. When they have completed their
feeding, they descend further and girdle the stem
base.
HostslDistribution: Nearly all cultivated cereals and
native grasses act as hosts, although wheat is
preferred. Fall-sown cereals are more commonly
attacked. Wheat lines having solid or partially solid
stems are much less susceptible to attack. The
wheat stem sawfly is a major problem in the
Mediterranean Basin.
Importance: Sawfly can cause significant damage
in some years, but infestations are usually
discontinuous.
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