Farmer Feedback: Needs Assessment Reveals Growers’ Views on Corn Insect Pests in Iowa
A survey of corn farmers in Iowa shows which insect pests are of most concern and that most are not seeing failures in management methods such as Bt crops. But they do look to IPM and extension agents for guidance in managing insecticide resistance.
Conventional Soil Management Draws European Corn Borer Toward Bt Corn
A study on European corn borer in conventional and organic growing systems finds an "unintentional attract-and-kill" mechanism whereby borers are attracted to corn in conventionally managed fields but then fall victim to Bt corn there.
Drought-Tolerant Corn Comes With a Bonus—Mite Resistance
A new study finds that three corn varieties bred for drought resistance also stand up better to the Banks grass mite when drought conditions set in—a potential boon to growers in regions with diminishing water supply.
Collaboration Leads to Documentation: Tracking the Spread of Tar Spot on Corn in the U.S.
Tar spot is an emerging foliar fungal disease of corn that can reduce crop yield. Incidence and discovery of this disease greatly increased in 2018 and 2019 thanks to a coordinated, multi-state effort that relied heavily on social media and electronic disease mapping.