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Corn rootworm a tough pest to manage

Corn rootworm has the attention of many farmers planning for the upcoming growing season.

Jim Lappin with crop protection manufacturer AMVAC says the insect continues to be a problem.

“In the Upper Midwest, Midwest, corn rootworm is probably one of the biggest topics from ’23 and ’22 in that we’ve seen elevated pressures from corn rootworm.”

He tells Brownfield the pest can be difficult to manage because it typically doesn’t infest a field equally.

“So you have some spots that are more dramatic than others in terms of their survivability. There are some new technologies I think that will get us down that path in the future, things like soil DNA testing. But they are more designed to tell you where you don’t have a problem than where you do have a problem.”

Lappin says farmers should be evaluating what products and practices best address corn rootworm.