Page 2—Com Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 14,.2000
Management Strategies Essential When Planting
Rootworm-, Corn Borer-Resistant Varieties
(Continued from Pag* 1)
with insect resistance
preventing the CRW from
becoming resistance to the ef
fects of the toxins are still
evolving.
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) regulations
insist that 20 percent of the
corn acres should be non-Bt
corn to act as a refuge to
deter resistance.
If spraying, the
number jumps up to
40 percent. So other
integrated strategies
must be incorpo
rated in fields.
Some growers
plant Bt and non-Bt
corn in strips. An ex
ample would be two
rows of non-Bt
along with 12 rows
of Bt.
Another strategy
a popular one
is to plant blocks of
corn, where 80 per
cent is Bt and an
other 20 percent
aren’t.
Another option,
adopted by some
growers, is to plant
different fields
one containing Bt
and another with
non-Bt corn.
But with the
CRW varieties,
growers should un
derstand the
rootworm’s life cycle
is different from the
corn borer. The
rootworm doesn’t
move as far it
won’t move from
field to field. Mating
is close by.
So growers may
have to take CRW
and non-CRW con
trolling varieties and
somehow mix them
together, according
to Calvin.
“What is the best
strategy?” said
Calvin, regarding
finding economic
thresholds. He be
lieves it’s essential
for researchers to
see what is in the
marketplace first
and then determine
what to do.
“It’s going to be
an issue we’ll have
to contend with, and
we have to generate
data to deal with it,”
he said.
For now, growers
selecting ECB resist
ance through Bt
corn should consider
an overall strategy
when dealing with
pests.
Growers should
select not just ECB
resistant corn varie
ties, but look closely
at yield and other
“Look for (a variety) that
performs well, not just one
that has the genes in it,” said
Calvin.
Deciding whether the tech
nology is a benefit depends
on the cost factors. Getting
miLi wmm
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the genes will cost a prem
ium.
And some hybrids can out
yield Bt and those with
stacked genes combining
CRW and ECB control so
it is best to consider planting
and yield intentions.
■rjf f-'
START WITH GLEANER*.
FINISH WITH
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Quarryville, PA
717-786-7318
C.J. WONSIDLER BROS. HERNLEY’S FARM
Quakertown, PA New Tripoli, PA Oley, PA EQUIPMENT INC
215-536-7523 610-767-7611 610-987-6257 Elizabethtown. PA
717-367-8867 • 1-800-564-2511
Utterback To Speak
At Decisions 2001 Conference
ALLENTOWN (Lehigh
Co.) Bob Utterback, ag
marketing adviser for Farm
Journal magazine, is the fea
tured speaker at the Deci
sions For the Real Beginning
of the 21st Century Seminar
Jan. 23 here at the Days Inn
and Conference Center.
Paul Knight, Pennsylvania
State climatologist, instructor
of meterology at Penn State
University, and manager of
the Weather Communica
tions Group, will also talk.
ZIMMERMAN’S FARM SERVICE, Inc.
1/2 Mile West off Rt. 501 , On School Rd . Bethel, PA
717-933-4114
Paul has been the senior fore
caster for The New York
Times since 1986. Paul is also
the producer, co-host, and
on-camera meterologist for
WPSX-TV’s Weather World.
Dan Wolf, president of the
Pennsylvania Master Corn
Growers Association, will
give his organization’s per
spective on public policy.
For information on the
conference, contact John
Berry at the Lehigh County
Cooperative Extension office,
(610)391-9840.
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