Monitoring and efficacy of selected insecticides for European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis Hubn., Lepidoptera: Crambidae) control

Abstract

The European corn borer (ECB), Ostrinia nubilalis (Ht‹ 9 bner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is the major arthropod pest of corn in Croatia. However, chemical control is carried out only in maize for seed production, and in sweet corn. A 3-year investigation was carried out in corn fields in northwest Croatia to establish the most attractive pheromone lure for ECB monitoring, the optimal timing of insecticide applications, and the efficacy of selected insecticides against ECB. During each of the 3 years, the pheromone lures E, Z and E/Z («Isagro») were evaluated in the field from May to July. Insecticides were sprayed 14-20 days after the maximal capture in 2002 and 2003. In 2004, three different trials were set up: one trial with one early treatment (when corn was in the R49 development stage according to the extended BBCH scale); one with one late treatment (when corn was in the R65 development stage according to the BBCH scale); and one with two treatments in both stages. In the trials studying Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (B.t.k.), insect growth regulators (IGR), spinosad and classical chemical insecticides were applied. Pheromone lure E was the most attractive for monitoring ECB flights throughout 2 years of investigation. Insecticide efficacy depended on application timing. The insecticides most suitable for integrated pest management (IPM) programs, including spinosad, B.t.k. and IGR, resulted in high (spinosad) to moderate (B.t.k.) efficacy. The efficacy of IGRs indicates the need for earlier application. The efficacy of chemical insecticides depended on the year and the insecticide. The organophosphate (OP) insecticides and pyrethroids gave moderate to good results; imidacloprid did not provide significant efficacy. One application of all insecticides based on proper (early) timing resulted in the same efficacy as two applications of the same insecticides.

ROS‐Inducible DNA Cross‐Linking Agent as a New Anticancer Prodrug Building Block

“…Although in 2006 the mixture of organophosphate and pyrethroid showed a lower ECB severity than oxadiazine insecticide in late applications (T4), the two insecticides tested in the experiment did not show any significant differences in their efficacy to control fungal ear rot or fumonisin contamination for the different application timings. Indoxacarb has greater ovicidal properties,32 while a mixture of clorpirifos and cypermethrin may have a higher contact and residual activity on neonates;33 however, when they were applied at the same time, they led to a similar control of ECB damage and fumonisin content, as reported in a previous work16 and confirmed by Bailey et al 34 and Bažok et al 35 Thus these data underline that application timing is more important than the type of insecticide applied.…”

A comparison of methods to estimate seasonal phenological development from BBCH scale recording

“…Most recent studies utilizing the BBCH scale either present further descriptions of phenological stages of certain species (e.g. Salazar et al 2006;Finn et al 2007;Saska and Kuzovkina 2010) or deal with topics related to agricultural crop research (Bazok et al 2009;Janusauskaite 2009;Kraska et al 2009;Rodriguez-Rajo et al 2010) where single phenological events and not the entire development cycle of plants are considered. Consequently, there is no accepted methodology to analyze the frequency distribution of phenological stages.…”

A physiologically based approach for degree-day calculation in pest phenology models: the case of the European Corn Borer (Ostrinia nubilalis Hbn.) in Northern Italy

“…This has been demonstrated to be an effective practice to reduce ECB impact on maize production (Mazurek et al 2005;Bažok et al 2009). Timing of the chemical treatment is critical to the integrated pest management of ECB.…”