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Data Shows Limited Economic Impact from Western Bean Cutworm Control in 2024 Sprinkler Corn Competition

By Krystle Rhoades

During the 2024 growing season, competitors in the sprinkler corn competition were given the opportunity to choose insecticide treatments targeting the western bean cutworm, a moth/caterpillar pest. This decision was based on scouting data gathered by Julie Peterson and her team on July 12, 15 and 19. The scouting report showed that a cumulative 4% of corn plants were infested with either eggs or newly hatched larvae.

Resources were also provided to competitors to help them decide if and when treatment for western bean cutworm is necessary. A quick decision was made by each farm to select whether an insecticide treatment should be made, and their choice of one of three insecticides.

Insecticides were applied at 15 gpa on Thursday, July 25 by Dr. Milos Zaric (assistant professor, Pesticide Application Technology Lab) with a high clearance sprayer with 10-foot wide boom (Figure 2). For each treated plot, the final 28 feet were left unsprayed as a control. Most competitors (71.1%) chose not to treat with an insecticide, whereas nine farms (23.7%) chose Brigade, one (2.6%) chose Vantacor, and one (2.6%) chose Elevest.

On Aug. 22, 2024, the entomology research team collected and examined 10 corn ears each from the sprayed and unsprayed portions of representative plots to determine ear feeding injury to the crop (measured in square inches of feeding damage). Within each plot, the amount of damage to the sprayed ears was subtracted from the amount of damage to the unsprayed ears to calculate the average square inches of damage prevented by the insecticide application. Overall, feeding injury due to western bean cutworm was very low, as would be expected due to the scouting showing 4% infestation rate, which is… (continue reading)

Source : unl.edu

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