Corn rootworm egg hatch is underway as hot temperatures and little rainfall remain the norm across the Midwest.
As one of the major pests in corn whose presence lasts well into summer, it is critical to get into the fields and identify corn rootworm populations.
“Corn rootworm larval feeding interferes with water and nutrient uptake in corn. The damage may lead to poor yield and poor standability in the fall during harvest,” says Paul Parcher, technical agronomist for Channel Seed. “It’s a problem that keeps on giving.”
Follow Parcher’s recommendations below to better track and monitor this pest.
Understand Corn Rootworm
“Because corn rootworms are below ground, oftentimes we don’t know that they’re there until we have some above-ground symptoms,” Parcher explains.
One example is lodged corn after strong windstorms, which may occur due to the loss of root tissue caused by corn rootworm larval feeding.
Corn rootworm populations can fluctuate rapidly from year to year, Parcher says. Corn rootworm eggs are well adapted to the harsh Midwestern winter conditions. The addition of an insulating blanket of snow aids in their survival, but if there is a soil-saturating rainfall at the time of hatching, many corn rootworm larvae may drown. In dry conditions, because the pest feeds on corn roots and interferes with the plant’s ability to uptake nutrients and water, the crop may show symptoms of drought and/or nutrient deficiency earlier than the weather may indicate.
Employ Preventive Strategies
“One of the best strategies is to rotate to a non-host crop such as soybeans,” Parcher says. “If that isn’t possible, I recommend the use of products that offer multiple below-ground modes of action that protect against corn rootworm, such as SmartStax Technology and the new SmartStax Pro Technology.”
Parcher says corn rootworm is the No. 1 corn pest because of its adaptability. Keeping ahead of this pest by scouting and effectively utilizing the tools at our disposal to manage them is key.
Identify Presence in Your Fields
While prevention is key to mitigate the damage corn rootworm has on your farm, it is important to scout and confirm any presence during the growing season.
“There are online tools available like InsectForecast.com, which farmers can use to track egg hatch and adult emergence of corn rootworm and other pests,” Parcher says. “Half the battle with corn rootworm is identifying where the insect pressure occurs.”
Follow These Scouting Tips
Scouting fields for corn rootworm will help you confirm the presence of the pest. The best method is to dig up root balls and soak them in water to see if larvae float to the surface.
Parcher shares several tips to help you scout for potential corn rootworm presence:
- Bring a spade to dig up root balls and 5-gallon pails to carry the root balls out of the field.
- Bring a knife or snips to cut the corn plant as you are only interested in the root ball.
- Use a marking pen on the stalk to label where it came from on your farm.
- When digging up a root ball, take the surrounding 4 to 6 inches of soil. This will soak in the pail so the larvae (if present) can float up.
- In late July or early August, when you evaluate the amount of damage corn rootworm has done, leave as much soil in the field as possible. Wash off the roots, as they will show the extent of the damage at this stage.
Document Damage
Be sure to document where you scout and find corn rootworm presence during the growing season.
“This is important because a lot of times in the fall, there aren’t corn rootworm beetles around and root balls are already deteriorating, so it’s hard to determine the extent of the damage,” Parcher says.
Keeping track of the insect pressure on your farm year over year will help when planning for the following planting season.
Enroll in The Watch Program
“I recommend farmers sign up for a program called The Watch at Traits.Bayer.com. It is a free resource that provides sticky trap kits to participants to help detect the presence of adult corn rootworm beetles in the fields,” Parcher says.
The Watch, led by Bayer, sends instruction to set up and monitor sticky traps, which serve to increase the awareness of corn rootworm pressure.
“The Watch is all about vigilance, which is truly the best defense against corn rootworm,” Jody Gander, technology development manager at Crop Science division of Bayer says. “Farmers need to understand their corn rootworm pressure so they can adjust their management practices to achieve the best yield potential.”
Channel Seed conducted surveys in 2020 to help evaluate the risk of infestations in 2021. From late July through late September, sticky traps were set across 1,440 field locations in corn growing areas across the Corn Belt to monitor corn rootworm beetle numbers.
To better understand the survey results, Extension entomologists at the University of Illinois and Iowa State University helped interpret the data. The following outlines what the data suggests about the economic injury potential for the following season:
- Fewer than 2 beetles/trap/day indicates a relatively low risk of economic injury.
- More than 1 beetle/trap/day suggests a low risk for economic injury but could indicate populations are increasing.
- More than 2 beetles/trap/day indicates the probability for economic injury is likely if control measures are not used.
- More than 5 beetles/trap/day indicates economic injury is very likely, and populations are expected to be very high the following year.
“I have examples from past years where farmers put traps up and they actually identified problems that they didn’t think they had,” Parcher says. “This program does work.”
The Link LonkJune 23, 2021 at 01:32AM
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Keeping the billion-dollar bug at bay - Successful Farming
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