Corn rootworm resistance to Bt traits is growing in areas where there’s little crop rotation to suppress the population, experts in Ontario and elsewhere warn.
Tag Archives corn rootworm
Ready for corn rootworm resistance?
Populations of rootworm able to resist Bt traits are growing where there’s little crop rotation
Corn pests to watch over the next month
OMAFRA Field Crop Report for the week of July 15
Like many other pests, corn rootworm (CRW) is ahead of schedule this year. Adult beetles will be emerging this week or next. Anyone considering trapping for adults as part of the Corn Rootworm Trap Network should be setting up their trap sites soon. Monitoring for CRW adults using sticky traps is an effective tool for flagging fields […] Read more
By the numbers – corn rootworm in 2023
Populations were lower but intensity in some regions was higher
Concerns about corn rootworm have increased in the past two years as numbers continue to rise across the province, particularly in areas where corn is a feed source for livestock. Two years ago, Tracey Baute, field crops entomologist with the Ontario agriculture department, noted that resistance to Bt Cry proteins had become an issue, where […] Read more
Silage growers urged to protect feed supply from Bt-resistant corn rootworm
Pest has caused significant yield loss in both Canada and the U.S.
Some livestock producers in the U.S. corn belt have had to make a difficult and costly decision. They’ve harvested their silage corn for grain to salvage some financial return. Now a provincial entomologist says Ontario producers may face the same decision if resistance to the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) trait in corn continues to grow. Bt-resistant […] Read more
Concerns grow over control-resistant pests
Corn rootworm and spider mites top list of concerns in summer 2022
Two significant insect pest problems have occurred this year, both stemming in part from building resistance to controls. Corn rootworm tops the list, according to Tracey Baute, field crop entomologist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). Why it matters: Grain growers have limited tools to address spider mites and corn […] Read more
Advanced corn hybrid with an RNAi trait to launch in Canada in 2023
SmartStax Pro builds on existing SmartStax trait
Glacier FarmMedia – Resistance to corn rootworm is becoming a bigger concern as populations continue to develop resistance to existing Bt Cry proteins. Three of the four proteins targeting corn rootworm are related to known cross-resistance, so a population that becomes resistant to one protein will exhibit resistance to the others. The resulting recommendation to […] Read more
Corn Rootworm trapping study will encourage crop rotation
Results show corn rootworm pressure highest in counties with corn on corn rotations
Corn fields in two southwest counties and one in the east are at the highest risk in Ontario of hosting Bt-resistant corn rootworm (CRW), according to results from a first-year, grower-led beetle trapping project funded in part by Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO). Tracey Baute, entomologist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural […] Read more
September forage report for Ontario
OMAFRA Forage Report for October 6
Ontario Hay Listings is a free classifieds service provided by the Ontario Forage Council. Producers looking to buy or sell hay or straw are encouraged to post an ad. In 2020 there were several reports of corn rootworm injury to hybrids with below-ground protection from Bt traits. This suggests that Bt-resistant corn rootworm populations exist in Ontario. Continuous […] Read more
Lessons learned from U.S. struggle against corn rootworm resistance
Producers growing corn-on-corn encouraged to find new sources of feed
Specialists from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs recently urged the province’s corn-growing livestock producers to take the issue of corn rootworm resistance to Bt traits seriously. They said efforts in the United States to slow the growth of resistance in corn rootworm to Bt-based control traits have not been effective. Why […] Read more
Silage options to rotate away from corn
Ryegrass, triticale, sorghum species all have potential to help avoid corn-on-corn rotations
In Europe, it’s ryegrass. On the Prairies, it’s barley. In areas where either climate or pesticide resistance makes it impractical to grow corn, livestock producers nonetheless achieve good gains or high milk production. And, during a recent session hosted by OMAFRA, crop and livestock specialists encouraged Ontario’s livestock producers to consider rotating away from corn […] Read more