2020.07.23 Growing Insights
Jul 23, 2020
|
|||||||
| Corn Rootworm Lifecycle |
| With some of the storms that have dotted the countryside the last few weeks as corn finished tasseling, it has uncovered a somewhat hidden pest until now. Some corn fields that had more “goose-necking” or lodged corn after wind events pointed us to spots to spend some extra time in scouting, and we were able to find the presence of corn rootworm pests! Both Northern and Western corn rootworms produce one generation per year. Overwintering eggs are about 50% hatched when soils have accumulated 684 to 767 GDU’s. The larvae will begin to feed immediately on corn roots! The carbon dioxide emissions from root tips are what actually helps the larvae find their food. Rootworm larvae go through three growth stages as they feed on corn roots. After the third phase, they will transition from larvae to beetles (which lasts 1-2 weeks), leading to adult beetles emerging from the soil around mid-July to feed on silks and leaves (males will emerge first, then females). First instars are small (less than 1/8” long), and they get as big as a ½” long by the 3rd instar.  The main concern with rootworm feeding is the damage they do to the root system.
In order to diagnose the damage corn rootworm larvae have caused below ground, it’s best to dig up about an 8” cube around the corn root, place it in a 5-gallon bucket of water, break apart the soil, and wait for larvae to float to the top of the water. 2nd and 3rd instars are usually the most visible when floating roots.  Once you have the roots washed, then you can inspect for early-season damage and feeding scars like the image below.  It’s also important to know the levels of adult rootworm beetles that are in the field that can lay eggs this year, especially if the field is being considered to be planted to corn again. Using yellow sticky traps to collect beetles, you can determine the level of rootworm beetles to make economic decisions about controlling beetles with a late-season insecticide or rotating to a different crop the following year. Thresholds vary by state and university, but the economic threshold between 2-5 beetles per trap/day would signify the potential of significant yield loss the next season in continuous corn if no control tactics are used. Contact your local CFS representative if you have corn acres that you would like to determine the level of corn rootworm pressure to make more informed decisions for your crop rotation next year! |
Read More News
May 28, 2024
Join the Children’s Museum of Southern Minnesota on June 1 for Ag Education
Day. Ag is so relevant in our region, but many children only “see” it from a bus window. This FREE
Museum day gives a hands-on opportunity to explore, learn, and ask questions about the importance
of agriculture in our everyday life. Teaching children about agriculture at a young age can help
them start recognizing how it impacts the world around them and can help them learn other important
aspects about life.
Day. Ag is so relevant in our region, but many children only “see” it from a bus window. This FREE
Museum day gives a hands-on opportunity to explore, learn, and ask questions about the importance
of agriculture in our everyday life. Teaching children about agriculture at a young age can help
them start recognizing how it impacts the world around them and can help them learn other important
aspects about life.
May 17, 2023
Highlights as of 5/16:
Corn:
Planting and weather conditions are the name of the game currently. With planting progress looking very favorable and the weather forecast showing above normal temps and below normal precipitation for much of the corn belt all signs point to very good planting conditions. With that, we gave up yesterday’s gains on old crop and put in some new lows on December corn.
Corn:
Planting and weather conditions are the name of the game currently. With planting progress looking very favorable and the weather forecast showing above normal temps and below normal precipitation for much of the corn belt all signs point to very good planting conditions. With that, we gave up yesterday’s gains on old crop and put in some new lows on December corn.