Progress reported in controlling com borers
NEWARK, Del. -In the At present about two-thirds
wake of last season’s heavy of its current research on
outbreak of first brood -crop pests is devoted to the
European com borers in ECB.
com, a lot of Delaware This research (which is
growers and industry per- funded through the
sonnel are wondering about Delaware Agricultural
the likelihood of similar Experiment Station) ap
outbreaks in the future. One proaches the problem of
question many of these com borer control from
people are asking is; “What several directions:
are entomologists at the biological, chemical and
University of Delaware cultural practices, as well as
doing to help predict these the development .of
outbreaks and improve techniques for predicting
control of the com borer? ” ECB populations in com and
“Plenty,” is the peppers,
reassuring answer from For example, he cites the
Extension pest management work of Dr. Paul P. Bur
specialist Mark Graustein, butis, a bio-control en
who reports that researchers tomologist who has con
in the University’s depart- ducted research on control of
ment of entomology and ECB in peppers since 1958.
applied ecology are coming More recently Burbatis and
(up with some promising his colleagues have
ideas on how to lick this discovered a native parasite
serious pest. of ECB eggs. The resear-
According to Graustein,
the department has long
considered the ECB one of
Delaware’s major crop pests
and has directed research
efforts towards its control.
chers are presently studying
the feasibility of using this
parasite as a biological
control of the ECB.
Tackling the problem from
another direction, Burbutis,
insect ecologist Dr. Charles
E. Mason, and Dr. Steven D.
Skopic (an authority on
animal periodicity on loan to
the department of en
tomology from the School of
Life and Health Sciences)
are studying techniques for
interrupting diapause (the
hibernation stage) of
overwintering ECB’s. The
same researchers have
initiated a new project this
year which involves the
cooperation of 13 states. This
project will investigate the
possibility of genetically
controlling the ECB. In 1978
this team also conducted a
study to determine the
potential yield reduction
caused by various
population levels of the ECB
on corn at different planting
dates and different in
secticide treatment dates.
Similar research on the
timing of com plantings and
insecticide treatments as
these affect ECB infestation
levels was initiated by
economic entomologist Dr.
Lewis Kelsey in 1975. His
research over the past four
years has contributed the
ECB, reports Graustein.
Kelsey’s work has deter
mined which insecticides
and rates of application
provide effective control, as
well as the optimal timing of
insecticide applications. It
has also provided in
formation on the influence of
planting date on subsequent
borer infestations and on
predicting the severity of
infestations based on the
spring ECB population,
borer development,
weather, phonological
events (such as the leafing
out of trees), and planting
date.
Furadan is one of the most
effective and widely used
insecticides for com insect
control in Delaware. In 1978
Kelsey conducted research
to determine whether the
apparent beneficial effects
of this chemical are the
result of ECB control, soil
insect control, nematode
control, of suppression of the
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 2,1978
whole pest complex. He has
also investigated the effects
of control treatments in
conventional vs. no-till com,
as well as irrigated vs. non
irrigated com.
Last Summer Graustein
himself established
demonstration plots on eight
different farms in the state
in an attempt to determine,
under commercial growing
conditions, how the timing of
com planting dates and
insecticide applications
Public hearings slated
for natural gas use
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The hearings, which will
Three public hearings on begin at 9:30 a.m. each day,
implementing the will be held Dec. 11. at the
agricultural priority section Freer Gallery auditorium
of the recently-enacted here; Dec. 14, at the Senator
Natural Gas Policy Act will Hotel, 12th and L Streets,
be held during December. Sacramento, Calif.; and
Secretary of Agriculture Bob Dec. 18, at the Holiday Inn
Bergland announced O’Hare/Kennedy, River
recently. Road and Kennedy Ex-
affect yield. He also wanted
to find out whether corn
planted in Kent and New
Castle counties responds to
com borer infestations in the
same way as that grown in
Kelsey’s Sussex county test
plots.
Graustein plans to report
on these various com borer
control projects at the
Delmarva Com Technology
Conference, which will be
held at the Convention Hall
in Ocean City, Md., Tuesday,
December 12.
pressway, Chicago, HI.
The department’s Office of
Energy, directed by Weldon
Barton, will conduct the
hearings.
The Natural Gas Policy
Act gives priority protection
against cutoff to agricultural
users of natural gas, when
the gas is essential for full
food and fiber production.
The act stipulates that
essential uses of natural gas
shall be for agricultural
production, natural fiber
production and processing,
food processing, food quality
maintenance, irrigation
pumping, crop drying and
the production of fertilizer,
agricultural chemicals and
animal feed and food.
Under the legislation,
signed by President Carter
Nov. 9, Secretary Bergland
must determine the specific
users and amounts of gas to
be protected by the
agricultural priority against
cutoff. He must than certify
those users and amounts to
the Department of Energy
by February 1979.
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