Abstract
Wheat surveys in 1987/88 confirmed the incidence of an important new species of cereal leafminer in the genus
Agromyza attacking Gassim wheat in Central Saudi Arabia. Infestation levels in eight randomly selected wheat fields ranged between 7 and 10% of the plants during the seedling stage, attack being mainly on the third and fourth leaves. Adult leafminer numbers ranged between 6 and 10 per 20 double sweeps. Studies under controlled conditions showed that the egg incubation, larval, prepupal and pupal periods were 3–7, 2.5–7, 1.0, and 19–22 days respectively. Seven predators and two abundant braconid pupal endoparasites were reported as natural enemies of the leafminer.
Sorghum sudanense L.,
Lolium spp. and
Sorghum bicolor (L.) were recorded as alternate hosts.