Based on the systematic study of the nature of symptoms and extent of damage, a rating scale of 1 (healthy plant) to 9 (deadheart) was developed to allow the screening of maize genotypes for resistance to the pink stemborer, Sesamia inferens (Walker). The maize plants were separated into three distinct groups, namely least susceptible (1–3 score), moderately susceptible (4–6) and highly susceptible (7–9).