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STRATEGY A featured segment designed to share business- critical information to seed-selling professionals. Visit SeedWorld.com to download this department and other tools to help you sell seed to farmers. Battling Insects The Never-Ending Fight With the ever-evolving nature of insects companies are challenged to come up with an arsenol of traits and seed-applied technologies to help farmers win the battle season after season. WITH MORE THAN 88 million acres of corn planted in 2015 insects that feed on this staple crop had plenty to sink their chewing mouths in. While much of farmers focus these days is on get- ting herbicide-resistant weeds under control experts remind not to forget about develop- ing a management plan for insects as well so as not to end up in a similar situation. When coming up with an insect management plan its important for agronomists crop advisors and farmers to consider both above- and below-ground insects. These include European corn borer corn earworm cutworm and corn rootworm. This year European corn borer has been a really big issue says Iris Tzafrir Syngenta commercial traits lead for corn noting that 2015 might have seen some of the worst population numbers in the past 15 years. Reports have been particularly bad in Minnesota and South Dakota. European corn borer dam- ages corn when the boring disrupts the plants vascular tissues and interferes with the internal transfer of water sugars and nutrients accord- ing to Iowa State Universitys Department of Entomology. Additionally some infectious diseases can establish after borer damage. Tzafrir says growers have been making use of Bt traits but due to lower commodity prices might have opted to plant conventional varieties this year. She explains that because traited products have been so successful in protecting the seed and corn plant from insect damage growers might have had a false sense of security and not realized the pest pressure that exists in their fields. Bt traits have been doing a tremendous job on the market Tzafrir says. She cautions growers and says just because you cant see it and its not an issue today doesnt mean that its not going to be an issue in the future. We need to manage with this in mind she says. If we The larva of a mature European corn borer is about 1 inch long and creamy to grayish in color and marked by inconspicuous rows of small round brown spots running the length of its body. 58 SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2015 Female moths are pale yellow- brown with irregular darker bands running in wavy lines across their wings. Male moths are distinctly darker and usually smaller.