Purdue-Indiana Seed Industry Forum

1. Purdue-Indiana Seed Industry Forum Christian Krupke Assistant Professor Field Crops Entomology

2. History of Field Crops Pest Management In the beginning… Insecticides applied with seed at planting (corn) or as foliar sprays in response to infestation (corn and soybeans)

3. Soil and Foliar Insecticides • Disadvantages: • Efficacy of soil insecticides - declining w/ earlier planting? • Equipment - requires planter modification or sprayer • Timing issues - must scout fields to target treatments • Non-target effects - all beneficial insects wiped out Asian lady beetle = SBA predators

4. Trends in Field Crops Pest Management • New directions: • General movement toward targeted, selective control • agents (EPA-supported) • Insecticide-treated seed (Cruiser, Poncho, Gaucho) • Transgenic seed (B.t. corn)

5. Key pests of Indiana field crops Western corn rootworm

6. Western corn rootworm in Indiana WCR variant risk map • WCR variant is prevalent in IN and IL • Many Indiana producers deal with very high pressures in first-year corn • Sales of B.t. corn (incl. Poncho 250) and Poncho 1250 have been strong

7. Root Rating Performance, 2005 Current seed treatments not effective under high WCR pressures 1 Node Injury Scale 0-3. 0=no damage, 3=severe root pruning, 0.25 or greater-plants likely predisposed to a significant yield loss.

8. Root Rating Performance 2005 High CRW Pressure, IN, IL & IA

9. B.t. Corn Registrations for CRW1 as of November 2005 **All require a 20% refuge of non-B.t. corn**

10. Quebec Ontario Soybean aphid Year of detection 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Key pests of Indiana field crops

11. Cruiser 5FS thiamethoxam nicotinoid Syngenta Yes ‘early season protection’ SBA, Bean leaf beetle, wireworm, seedcorn maggot Seed Treatments for Soybean Common name: Chemistry: Manufacturer: EPA Reg? Insects: Gaucho imidacloprid nicotinoid Bayer CropSci Yes Early/mid-season Protection “Up to 65 days of activity”

12. Percent Mortality (%) + SEM Days after planting - aphids placed on leaves from Cruiser-treated plants - mortality after 24 & 48 hours recorded Mortality lasts for 35 days ~ V3/V4 plant stage

13. Field data - University of Minnesota Cruiser reduced aphid-pressure by half compared to an untreated control

14. 250 Untreated Cruiser Gaucho 200 150 100 50 0 23 23 30 7 14 21 28 May June July Weeks below threshold of 250 SBA/plant MSU Cage Study, 2003

15. Soybean Aphid in Indiana • Indiana aphid problems start later due to SBA summer migration (many of our aphids may not be “Indiana aphids”) • This complicates treatment decisions - When and where are seed treatments recommended for SBA? • Economics of commercial vs. seed production

16. Research Areas for 2006 and beyond Corn rootworm: 20% refuge requirement evaluations - which works best vs. economics Field evaluations of Herculex, Agrisure vs. Yieldgard Soybean aphid: Cruiser works in the short-term - but is it a good fit for Indiana? Gaucho - validate levels of SBA control under IN field conditions Economic analysis of seed treatments w.r.t. seed production - When are they worth the added cost to Indiana producers?

17. Questions?