IARN — In many geographies, conditions such as mild winters and low moisture are making it likely that growers should expect the recent rise in corn rootworm pressure to continue into next season.
For those with affected or at-risk fields, it could mean plants with damaged root systems, poor seed set and yield loss. A critical component of any management plan is using defensive corn rootworm trait technology, and according to a recent poll of U.S. corn growers by Pioneer, most growers prefer partnering traits with a combination of best management practices such as crop rotation and scouting to help maximize and prolong efficacy.
Pioneer Agronomy Manager Matt Essick reviewed more than 900 responses and adds his advice for dealing with this challenging pest.
“Rootworms have proven over time to be very adaptive, and I’d say there’s no one trait that can eliminate this pest problem from your field. How every grower approaches each field and understands how the insect might move from one field to another field, really influences how that trait effectiveness is. So, it could be anywhere from three to five years to as long as 20 plus years. And if we do our best job of implementing best management practices, that’s going to extend the trait life by at least 30 to 50 percent.”
51 percent of growers said they prefer using a combination of practices, while 35 percent chose crop rotation as their preferred management practice.
“Employing the right corn rootworm best management practices reduces populations, which obviously will lead to the extension of the life of the traits. It really boils down to just a numbers game. Once we let that population get out of control, then it becomes really tough to manage no matter what we try to do.”
For growers who aren’t sure about corn rootworm pressure in their fields, Essick also shares advice for how to accurately identify and then measure levels.
“Go out in your fields, dig up 10 to 20 plants, wash those roots off with the pressure washer or a bucket of water and evaluate for corn rootworm feeding. You can also wait until the adult beetles start to emerge, which is typically in July, go into the field, count the number of beetles you find per plant, do this at several locations across the field. Another method is to utilize yellow sticky traps during that beetle emergence timeframe. Anything less than 20 is pretty light pressure, anything over 50 on those sticky traps can be considered high corn rootworm pressure.”
Growers can reach out to their local Pioneer field agronomist for help with measuring pressure levels and developing customized management plans or visit Pioneer.com for more information.
(Story by NAFB)
Story courtesy of the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network.
