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Ask a Crop Advisor

Your Questions
Need some expert advice to help overcome challenges in your local area and optimize your yield? Ask a Unity Seeds crop advisor. Send us an e-mail at info@UnitySeed.com. Your question will be quickly addressed and an answer will be e-mailed promptly to you.

The most beneficial and challenging questions will be anonymously posted in this section. So come back and visit again to see if your question is posted.

Q. Are seed-applied insecticides worth the extra cost?
A. In most instances, seed-applied insecticides are being used to replace the more traditional granular insecticides. In areas of the country where corn rootworms are prevalent, Poncho 1250 ® may be used either as a replacement for granular insecticides or on refuge acres with rootworm corn.

Poncho ® 250 is more appropriate if you are fighting cutworms, wireworms, white grubs, seed corn maggots or flea beetles but NOT rootworms. This product offers good control of a wider spectrum of insects than the traditional planter box treatments and is much more cost-efficient than most granular insecticides.

Direct application to the seed gains you the convenience of not having to fill, adjust and maintain separate insecticide boxes on the planter. It also provides the proper amount of protection on every kernel of seed without having to handle potentially dangerous chemicals.

Seed-applied insecticides can be worth the extra money if insect pressure has been high in the past. However, please note that every operation is different along with each growing season. The insect thresholds for regions can vary tremendously from season to season. - Rob Carpenter

Q. What insects should I be looking for in my cornfields?
A. One insect that causes major economic damage is the European corn borer (ECB).

Studies have shown losses of 15-25 bushels/acre from ECB damage and as much as 5-6% yield loss from as few as one corn borer larva per plant. Corn is vulnerable to ECB from the 6th leaf stage through plant maturity. Second generation corn borer can cause harvest problems from lodging due to stalk diseases and from ear drop.

Stalk tunneling during the developmental growth stage can shut down moisture and nutrients, resulting in shorter plants and smaller leaves. The breakdown in stalk tissue carrying nutrients to the ear also lowers grain yields.

When scouting fields, look for "shot" holes in leaves or egg masses on the bottom sides of leaves. Where these are evident, cut into a stalk and look for the larva or tissue damaged by tunneling. The larva are three-quarters to one-inch long with creamy white to pink bodies and dark brown heads.

Using insecticides on growing corn can be tricky since timing of the application is critical for good control of ECB. Yield Gard Corn Borer®, Yield Gard Corn Borer® stacked with Roundup Ready 2®, Yield Gard Plus®, Herculex®, and Herculex XTRA® hybrids provide season-long control and whole-plant protection. All traits are available in the newest and highest performing hybrids from Unity Seeds.™ - Joe Budreau