Corn root worm infestations expected to increase this season

A BASF representative says Corn Belt farmers could see increased populations of corn root worm this season.

Nick Tinsley, a Seed Treatment Technical Representative based in Champaign, Illinois tells Brownfield in recent years they have spotted more in areas with a lot of continuous corn including parts of Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

“A lot of that has been related to some of the traits not working as well as they have in the past, as well as some favorable weather, and so we expect populations to be a little larger this year.”

He says the forecast for a wet spring could be beneficial because the pest does not do well if soils are too wet during hatching in late May, but early planting can give them a boost.

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