In the Chitwan valley, Nepal, Chilo partellus preferred maize and sorghum over rice, teosinte, finger millet and sugar-cane. Infestation on young maize plants produced “dead hearts” and on older plants reduced growth and sometimes prevented cob formation. The yield reduction in some maize cultivars reached 60% and stem infestation levels reached 98%. Borers produced “dead hearts” in young and “whiteheads” in older rice plants.
The egg, larval and pupal periods from April through September lasted 4–5, 16–41 and 4–8 days, respectively. A complete generation took 28–48 days under summer field conditions and 192–233 days from October to May. Of the one egg, four larval and two pupal parasitoids, all hymenopterans, which were reared from C. partellus, the two most important were Trichogramma chilonis (70% egg parasitism) and Apanteles flavipes (30% larval parasitism).
