Strategies and Tactics for Rootworm Management in Bt Corn

To help U.S. corn growers and consultants tackle growing insect resistance to Bt corn, university researchers have developed an online seminar series titled "Corn Rootworm Management in the Transgenic Era."

 Organized by Robert Wright, UNL research and extension entomologist, the five-part seminar focuses on new and changing aspects of managing the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera.

Since the commercialization of Bt corn hybrids with activity against corn rootworm larvae in 2003, many aspects of corn rootworm management and grower practices have changed. Recent reports of changes in susceptibility of western corn rootworm in Iowa and Illinois to two of the Bt proteins used in hybrids, and unexpected damage by rootworms to Bt corns in other states, has led to increased interest and concerns about rootworm management.

All five talks in this seminar are free on the Plant Management Network, due to grant support from USDA's National Institute for Food and Agriculture. They also are available for Certified Crop Advisor continuing education credits.

Figure 1. Western corn rootworm

Individual sessions are available on

• Rootworm Biology and Behavior — Joseph Spencer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Resistance Evolution and IRM for Rootworm — Aaron Gassmann, Iowa State University
• Adult Corn Rootworm Suppression — Lance Meinke, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Larval Corn Rootworm Management — Robert Wright, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
• Decision Tree for Grower Management Options: Re-Learning Corn Rootworm Management in the Transgenic Era — Ken Ostlie, University of Minnesota

Source:unl.edu