News

Corn rootworm populations on the rise

An agronomist expects corn rootworm to be a bigger problem for growers in many parts of the Midwest next year.

Paul Parcher covers northern Iowa for Channel Seed and says rootworm pressure has been building in his territory since 2014.

“A lot of acres were prevent-planted (in 2013), so we had corn rootworm larvae hatch out into fields with nothing to feed on.  Essentially, they died, having a huge impact on corn rootworm population.”

He tells Brownfield harsh conditions from the winter of 2013 through the spring of 2014 significantly reduced hatching, further crashing corn rootworm populations.

Parcher says populations have been steadily increasing ever since.

“What concerns me is we’re dealing with lower commodity prices and tighter margins, and there are certain places where farmers should not cut back on their input costs.  And protecting their corn crop from corn rootworm is an area that, in my opinion, they should not try to save money on.”

He recommends staving off corn rootworm with Best Management Practices, starting with rotation into a non-host crop like soybeans.