COMPARISON OF A HERCULEX HYBRID WITH CAPTURE TREATMENTS FOR CONTROL OF FIRST-GENERATION EUROPEAN CORN BORERS, 2001

Abstract

Our experiment involved the evaluation of two formulations of Capture (pyrethroid insecticide) and one transgenic hybrid Herculex I for control of first-generation Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner) larvae near Cavour South Dakota. Evaluations were carried out by supplementing natural European corn borer (ECB) background levels with artificial infestations. Plants in the whorl stage were marked and infested with O. nubilalis larvae on 19 and 20 Jul. Chemical treatments were applied on 17 Jul at whorl (approximately 5 days before tassel) stage of corn physiological development. These insecticides were applied to single row (25 ft long; spaced 30 inch apart) plots in a randomized complete block design with four replicates. Granules were directed into corn plant whorls using a pneumatic applicator powered by a 3.5 horsepower engine mounted on a Hahn highboy. Noble metering units attached to a modified chain-driven apparatus regulated the amount of granules released into the pneumatic applicator. Liquid treatments were applied to corn plant whorls using a single-nozzle CO2-propelled backpack sprayer system. Approximately one month following insecticide applications, 10 corn stalks were chosen from previously marked plants in each plot. Each plant was split vertically and examined for O. nubilalis tunneling damage. The number and length of O. nubilalis cavities were analyzed using the SAS GLM procedure with means being compared by using the LSD test.