Bt Options For Corn Insect Control And “Know Before You Grow”

Apr 09, 2014

Andy Michel, Peter Thomison

Bt Options for Corn Insect Control and “Know Before you Grow”

Since the mid 1990’s and the first Bt corn product to control European corn borer was released, there are now numerous options available for corn insect management. At times, this information can be confusing, and thankfully our colleagues Dr. Eileen Cullen at the University of Wisconsin and Dr. Chris DiFonzo at Michigan State university have developed a handy Bt-Trait table, which lists all currently available options (a copy can be found at our webpage: http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/ag/images/Handy_Bt_Trait_Table_a.pdf).

Of note this year is a new product from Syngenta called Duracade™, which is targeted mainly for western corn rootworms. This is an important trait for rootworm control, especially since Dr. Aaron Gassmann and his team at Iowa State University have found rootworms resistant to Cry3Bb1 and mCry3A (see http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/03/12/1317179111).

However, not all markets have approved Duracade™, including China and the European Union, restricting where this seed can be sold. Furthermore, certain elevators and ethanol plants will not take Duracade™ grain. Growers that use Duracade™ are recommended to be cautious about how their grain is planted, harvested and sold to limit mixing with other traits.

Restrictions also apply to a few other corn traits, and the National Corn Growers Association has a list of traits not currently approved for certain export markets (see http://www.ncga.com/for-farmers/know-before-you-grow), as part of their Know Before You Grow program.

Source : osu.edu

Video: Designing a Robotic Berry Picker

Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.