Dl2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 24,1981
in reduced tillage corn
LANCASTER - The stalk
borer, sometimes called
common stalk borer, is
native to eastern United
States, said Stanley Gesell,
Penn State Extension En
tomologist during the 7th
Annual Mid-Atlant'C No-Till
Conference held here
recently
Stalk borer has been
recognized as a pest of
agronomic and vegetable
crops for the past 150 years,
he said. However, during the
past decade, with the shift
from conventional to
reduced tillage for com, this
insect’s status has changed
from minor to major im
portance.
In a study conducted at
Penn State last year, Gesell
explained they located a
field m Mifflin County during
the fall where stalk borer
eggs were found on clumps
of orchardgrass and rye. The
field had been in com,
planted after chisel plowing
and discing.
The purpose of the
research was to test the
effectiveness of insecticides
at planting time and to study
the effectiveness of spray
applications on young larvae
at hatching and during their
early activity.
After the eggs hatched this
spring, from mid-May to
mid-June, the larvae started
eating. Since there was no
grass, due to effective
herbicide control, the worms
attacked the seedling corn
They bored into the plant
from the side or the top and
began chewing out the inside
of the plant, Gesell said. As a
result, the com plants
showed top leaf wilt.
When the worms have
gorged themselves for four
to eight weeks (end of July),
they entered the ground and
pupated, metamorhizing
into moths by August.
In the pest study, spray
applications of various in
secticides were made on
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Control stalk borers
May 30, the day after the
first plant injury was noticed
the corn was 2 1 /2 inches
tall. The insecticides were
applied with a hand held
compressed air sprayer,
delivering gallons of
spray per acre at 40 p.s i
Gesell explained the study,
in its first year, indicated no
planting time treatments
controlled the stalk borer
effectively. Included m the
test were treatments with
Furadan 10G (1 and 2
lbs /acre), FMC 3500115 G (1
and 2 lbs/acre), and Or
thene 75 % (0.75/100 lb seed).
Only two treatments, the
high rate of Furadan and the
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Orthene seed treatment
were significantly better.
Several spray materials
showed promise, said Gesell
Pydrm was most effective
but is not presently
registered for use Larvm
showed promise, but is not
registered either. Methomyl
(Lannate and Nudnn) also
showed promise and is
registered for use on corn
“As it stands now, we
know of only three ways of
controlling stalk borer. 1.
two blocks of wood brought
together sharply with the
worm in between; 2
moldboard plowing (even if
they hatch, if they’re buried
under six inches of soil they
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Herbicide spraying
(Continued from Page OH)
wear-resistant material
recommended. “Spray
mixes containing wettable
powders are especially
abrasive and should not be
used with fast wearing brass
tips ”
Daum added farmers
should use the right type of
nozzle for herbicide spraying
flat-fan, even-fan, and
flooding-fan tips. He said
cone nozzles are better
suited for insecticide and
fungicide applications
won’t be coming up), and 3
burning trash, an en
vironmental no-no,” said
Gesell.
He noted as his research
on the pest continues, there
may be new chemicals and
methods discovered for
controlling the stalk borer in
reduced tillage corn.
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The Penn State engineer
concluded by listing a
number of operational
errors;
—Failure to clean the
sprayer, flush and dram at
the end of each day. Use a
cleaning agent when
changing pesticide.
—Failure to dram and
protect the sprayer,
especially the pump, for
winter storage. Some
sprayers deteriorate more m
storage than m use.
—Using a tractor without a
speed indicator to pull
sprayer Must maintain
constant speed to achieve
uniform application
—Spraying when wind
exceeds five mph Even
moderate wind can blow
spray droplet from target
area and, more important, to
non-target areas
—lmproper sequence of
mixing various formulations
and additives.
—Little understanding of
interaction of chemicals.
More information is needed
on the effects of one or more
chemicals in spray mix.
—Agitator not operating
while filling tank or
traveling to field. Wettable
powders need constant
agitation.
—Operator not familiar
with equipment capabilities,
limitations, and ad
justments. Detailed training
is necessary for good
pesticide apphcation.
"The cures for most of the
above problems are obvious.
The question is how can the
cures be implemented?
"I challenge each of you to
join me, to exert whatever
influence is necessary for
the continued safe and ef
ficient use of pesticides. This
includes maintaining and
using the sprayer as a safe,
effective, and efficient
delivery system,” Daum
concluded.