Field Corn, Stalk Borer Control, 1984

A field evaluation of foliar and seed applied insecticides to control an artificial infestation of stalk borer larvae was conducted in a fall plowed, spring disked field in Champaign, IL. Corn (B73 x M017) was planted in 30-inch rows on 14 May. Each insecticide treatment consisted of 4 by 30-ft rows arranged in a completely randomized design with 4 replications per treatment. Seed treated with UC 80502 was planted at the same time the remainder of the plot was planted. Forty plants in each treatment (10 consecutive plants in either of the center 2 rows of each treatment by four reps) were artificially infested by placing a single larva (ca. 0.5-0.75-inch long) in the whorl of each plant on the evening of 4 Jim, when plants were in the 3-leal stage. The lobar insecticides were applied to all 4 rows of each treatment the next morning, just as larvae were beginning to tunnel into the plants. Pydrin 2.4E was applied directly over the plant whorls with a CO2 sprayer equipped with a 1 nozzle wand (8003 even flat-fan nozzle, 4.6 ft/s, 20 psi, 10 gal of water/acre based on a row width of 40 inches). Pennwalt TD2128 granules were applied directly over the plant whorls in a 7-inch band with a Noble metering unit attached to a bicycle-wheeled applicator. All seedlings within each treatment were assessed for stalk borer damage (wilting and/or feeding) daily until 14 Jin.