“When you approach the rootworm as just a problem that has to be solved, you’re not taking into account the animal’s biology,” Ann Marie Journey says. “You’re hitting it just at certain points or with certain methods or controls, and you’re not allowing yourself in effect to have a conversation to gain insight back from the rootworms about what it is that makes them successful in any given place."
For those struggling with Corn Rootworm, Bayer Crop Science has been working on a solution to curb the effects of these destructive insects. While competitor's products can offer middling protection by using BT proteins, Smartstax Pro from Bayer compliments its use of BT proteins with RNA Interference Technology which changes the makeup of the root, which when ingested denies an essential protein to the rootworm larvae, thus killing the insect before it can ravage the roots.
The best management practice to reduce the resistant rootworm population is to rotate out of corn for at least one year. If that field is rotated to a non-host crop (e.g. alfalfa, rye, triticale, sorghum-sudangrass) in the following year, the larvae will die after hatching, and the population will be eliminated.
The National No-Tillage Conference returns January 12-15, 2027!Build and refine your no-till system with dozens of new ideas and connections at the 35th Annual National No-Tillage Conference in Indianapolis, Jan. 12-15, 2027. Experience an energizing 4-day agenda featuring inspiring general session speakers, expert-led No-Till Classrooms and collaborative No-Till Roundtables. Plus, Certified Crop Adviser credits will be offered.
I'm in Yakima, Washington this week at FIRA USA where there's always lots of great ag technology on display. Why don't we go take a look at the newest edition of the Aigen robot. We'll hear from Kenny Lee, the CEO of Aigen.