Search
Better Farming OntarioBetter PorkBetter Farming Prairies

Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Crop Scene Investigation - 21: What's the pest plaguing Jim's corn field?

Thursday, December 3, 2009

by BERNARD TOBIN

Corn seed treatments have become an important management tool for farmers, helping protect against insects that feast on fledgling plants.

When Tracey Baute, an entomologist with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, visits fields in the spring, she's always on the lookout for insect populations that, in extreme cases, can overwhelm seed treatments. Often, the signs of insect damage are obvious, but the prime suspect is not always the guilty party, as Baute discovered last May when she visited Jim, a grower in Chatham-Kent. Here's how the clues unfolded at Baute's crop scene investigation.

"I visited Jim's farm at the end of May after getting a call from a seed company representative. When I arrived at the field, you could see square-foot gaps across the cornfield with missing plants. And the plants on the edges of the gaps were starting to die off.

"I reviewed the field history with Jim. He had planted a YieldGard corn borer hybrid mid-April in the sandy loam soil, which was in soybeans the previous year. The weather after planting was cold and wet and when I arrived the plants ranged from two to three leaves depending on the area of the field.

"Jim also told me that the farm suffered tremendous wireworm pressure and he was fearful that the wireworm had simply overpowered the seed treatment. In addition, he had limited success with his fall burndown, which meant that surviving weeds would act as a host for other insects such as black cutworm. This pest could be responsible for the damage I was seeing.

"After reviewing Jim's field history, I ruled out soil-borne diseases. His fertility and herbicide program also checked out. The answer to this mystery had to be in the soil. As I started digging around in the bare patches, I noticed no evidence of black cutworm leaf feeding damage on the plants and had no sightings of the actual insect. There was evidence of wireworm, but the population wasn't high enough to overwhelm a seed treatment.

"I then pulled a couple of the wilting plants on the periphery of the bare patches. These plants were obviously under stress and could contain the clue I was looking for. When I pulled a plant, I found a swollen seed with long, tiny pests feeding on it. These were definitely not wireworms. I immediately recognized them from their hard skeleton and mass of tiny legs, but I had never seen them attack a corn seedling like this."

"I would need to do a bait test to determine if these typically beneficial pests were indeed the culprits. If they were the guilty party, I knew why the insecticide was not protecting Jim's corn field."

Can you identify the pest in Jim's corn field? Send your solution to Better Farming at: rirwin@betterfarming.com or by fax to: 613-678-5993.

Correct answers will be pooled and one winner will be drawn for a chance to win a Wireless Weather Station. The correct answer, along with the reasoning followed to reach it, will appear in the next issue of Better Farming. BF
 

Current Issue

September 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Festival of Guest Nations returns to Leamington

Friday, September 12, 2025

On Sunday, September 14, 2025, Seacliff Park in Leamington, Ontario, will come alive with music, food, and celebration as the Festival of Guest Nations returns to honour the migrant worker communities who play a vital role in Essex County’s agricultural economy. With more than 20 years... Read this article online

York Region launching new Agri-Food Startup Program

Thursday, September 11, 2025

A new program in York Region is designed to help entrepreneurs find their footing in the food space. The 14-week hybrid Agri-Food Start-up Program partners entrepreneurs with local organizations like the Foodpreneur Lab, Syzl, York Region Food Network, and the Chippewas of Georgina Island... Read this article online

Corn and Soybean Diseases Spread This Season

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

As reported on the OMAFRA website fieldcropnews.com, as well as in previous articles by Farms.com, the 2025 growing season is nearing its end with corn and soybean farmers in Ontario and the U.S. Corn Belt facing disease challenges that reflect changing weather conditions. For corn, two... Read this article online

Wheat Output Decline Projected for 2025

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

Statistics Canada’s latest modelled estimates suggest that wheat production in Canada will decline slightly in 2025, driven primarily by weaker yields across several regions. National output is expected to edge down 1.1% to 35.5 million tonnes, with yields forecast to fall 1.2% to 49.6... Read this article online

BF logo

It's farming. And it's better.

 

a Farms.com Company

Subscriptions

Subscriber inquiries, change of address, or USA and international orders, please email: subscriptions@betterfarming.com or call 888-248-4893 x 281.


Article Ideas & Media Releases

Have a story idea or media release? If you want coverage of an ag issue, trend, or company news, please email us.

Follow us on Social Media

 

Sign up to a Farms.com Newsletter

 

DisclaimerPrivacy Policy2025 ©AgMedia Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Back To Top