Corn borer research progresses in Delaware
ARK, Del. borer pressure in the
ions of European country right now.
borer (ECB) reached “I think we should expect
all-time high last Sum- to have relatively high com
in Delaware’s com' borer populations again,”
What’s the outlook for predicts Graustein. “On the
of the same kind of other hand, I think that
ile in 1979? 1 fewer fields will require
'versity of Delaware treatment.”
ion pest management He bases his predictions on
lalist Mark Graustein the fact' that the over
last Fall’s count of wintering population is
•ring borers (those slightly lower than a year
will lay eggs for the ago, as well as on the
brood of larvae next presence at survey sites of
; was the next highest natural enemies of the ECB,
•cord - second only to such as bacterial disease
177 count, which topped and parasitic insects. These
ar history of such Fall could both cut down on borer
lance Surveys. These numbers. Adverse weather
eys show that conditions could also lower
ware’s ECB population the count by next Spring, so
climbed dramatically it’s much too soon to know
the past few years. The for sure what the population
arva peninsula, in- will actually be.
'ly, is reputed to have “For these reasons, in
of the highest com festations should be a little
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more spotty, with the
pressure somewhat lower
over "the entire area,” he
predicts.
The pest management
specialist also expects first
brood com borer activity to
be earlier than in 1978, when
we had an unusually late
Spring. “I would expect ECB
egg-laying activity to peak in
com somewhere around the
15th to the 20th of May,” he
says.
Thanks to several recent
research projects at the
Delaware Agricultural
Experiment Station, a good
bit has been learned about
ECB behavior on com.
University entomologists
now feel they have a pretty
good handle on this pest -
enough to tell growers when
to expect trouble, and what
to do about it.
Among other things, the
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researchers have found that
the ECB won’t lay eggs on
com that’s less than 8 inches
high. It’s also attracted to
the tallest or earliest
plantings first - a good point
to remember when farmers
are checking their com for
infestations. Also, the moths
don’t lay eggs when night
temperatures fall below 55
degrees.
Field trials at the Ex
periment Station have shown
a significant increase in
yield with whorl treatment
for ECB, as opposed to at
planting treatment.
Graustein has several
suggestions that should help
growers decide when to treat
for this destructive pest.
First of all, begin your
weekly check for in
festations when the com is 18
to 24 inches high - normally
around the last week in May
and the first week in June,
depending on your planting
date. (Early planted com
takes about 30 days to reach
8 indies; late planted com
takes about 15 to 18 days.)
Check your earliest
plantings first. * Look for
evidence of .fresh borer
feeding in the whorls of 100
consecutive plants. Signs of
feeding include a “window
effect” in leaf tissue in the
whorl, and white granular
frass. The latter is a sure
sign that feeding is fairly
fresh. Such fresh evidence is
critical in making your
count, since a lot of natural
forces - including predators,
parasites, disease, rainfall
and drought - can lower
ECB populations in the field
rather quickly.
It’s a good idea, when you
count, to break open a couple
of plants to make sure
they’re infested with com
borer and not some other
kind of insect. If you don’t
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, February 17,1079—135 ’
feel confident to check your
own com for such in
festations, there are com
mercial services available to
routinely monitor your fields
for a fee.
Where the com is less than
30 inches high, Graustein
recommends a whorl in
secticide treatment it 35 or
more plants in the check row
have active whorl feeding.
Where plants are 30 inches
or taller, wait until 50 out of
100 plants show active
feeding. The injury level or
“threshold” is lower on the
shorter corn because
younger plants are more
likely to suffer from ECB
damage than older ones.
To keep abreast of the com
borer situation next Spring,
Delaware growers are urged
Power out of the sky
By Congressman Robert Walker
R-Pa. 16 th District
WASHINGTON, D.C. - This nation’s effort to develop
new sources of energy must continue and expand. As
demand for conventional fuels such as oil grows and
prices skyrocket, it is necessary for both the executive
and legislative branches of our government to take a good
long look at new and different methods of providing
needed energy supplies.
Recently, as pari of my duties on the House Science and
Technology Committee, I traveled to the Johnson Space
Center in Houston, Texas and the Los Alamos
Laboratories in New Mexico to review research aimed at
meeting future energy demands. One of the most in
triguing briefing presented by National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA) officials at the Space
Center dealt with the feasibility of solar powered satellites
which can provide massive amounts of power for use on
earth.
Solar powered satellites are designed to gather solar
energy in space where such energy is more intense and
relay it back to earth for integration into conventional
utility grids. NASA officials explained to me that one of
these satillites could gen'erate as much energy as five
nuclear power plants. I was also reminded that this type
of energy system would be constant with no real danger of
exhausting the supply.
While solar power satellites sound almost ideal, there is
one major consideration. Each satellite is tremendously
expensive. The whole concept needs to be evaluated
carefully, looking at the benefits to be derived versus the
amount of dollars spent. Solar powered satellites cannot
be operated in the near future and the long time necessary
for development will give scientists and members of
congress an opportunity for much needed study.
to subscribe to and read the
Cooperative Extension
Service’s integrated pest
management reports. These
are issued on a weekly basis
during the growing season.
They will contain predictions
and recommendations for
the control of the ECB as
well as other insect pests and
diseases which pose a threat
to com and many other field
crops.
To get your name on the
mailing list for these
reports, write or call: Mark
Graustein, Extension Pest
Management Specialist,
Agricultural Hall,
University of Delaware,
Newark, Del. 19711 (302-738-
2526) Ask for the “Delaware
- Maryland Integrated Pest
Management Report.”