Assess roots now to evaluate corn rootworm management strategies
Blog Post
Western and northern corn rootworm are serious pests of corn throughout the Corn Belt. We recommend that farmers scout every cornfield every year, regardless of the management tactic(s) used, to evaluate management decisions and prepare for next year. It is a good idea to scout for larvae early in the season, assess root injury when larval feeding wraps up, and monitor adults later in the season. Corn rootworm adults have started emerging throughout Iowa, which is an excellent time to evaluate root injury.
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This is the time of year when calls about black cutworm (BCW) scouting dates start to roll in, especially when Corn Belt states to the east have reported high moth numbers in traps. Despite what is being observed in states to the east (Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana), there have been relatively few captures in Iowa.