Generally, plants infected as seedlings will be much more severely affected than plants infected at later stages of development. MDM can be controlled by growing tolerant sorghum varieties and by maintaining good johnsongrass control. Spraying insecticides to reduce aphid populations is not an effective means of MDM control. Though conspicuous on plants because of its striking symptoms, the disease generally does little damage compared to the amount of leaf area affected. When viewed under proper lighting, these dead areas appear to have a reflective glaze.
Bacterial stripe is most prevalent from about mid-season on, especially during warm, humid weather.
The causal bacteria are carried over from season to season on seed, plant debris in the soil, and on johnsongrass. Control of bacterial stripe consists of using clean seed, rotation to a non-host crop, and good weed control measures. Plowing to bury infested crop residue can also be helpful, especially if crop rotation is not practiced. Certain head diseases of grain sorghum can result in severe production problems in Kentucky. These diseases cause a reduction of head and grain fill through direct attack of inflorescences by disease organisms.