The impact of cover cropping and insecticide seed treatments on seedcorn maggot pressure in field corn

Monday, November 11, 2024

9:24 AM – 9:36 AM MST

Location: Phoenix Convention Center, 122 A, PCC

Presenting Author(s)

AD

Anna DiPaola

PhD Candidate
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Co-Author(s)

JD

Janice Degni

Cornell University
Cortland, New York
MH

Michael Hunter

Cornell University
Geneva, New York
JL

Jodi Letham

Cornell University
Mt. Morris, New York
ES

Erik Smith

Cornell University
Herkimer, New York
MS

Michael Stanyard

Cornell University
Newark, New York
KP

Katja A. Poveda

Associate Professor
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York

Managing insect pests in field crops often involves balancing management practices that advance different goals but have interdependent outcomes. Understanding how multiple management practices within the same field impact pest pressure is essential to the implementation of sustainable techniques. The seedcorn maggot, Delia platura (Meigen), is a fly pest whose larvae damage the seeds of corn, soybean, and other crops before and during germination. Conventional corn and soybean growers often use insecticide seed treatments as a preventative measure because severe seedcorn maggot damage requires the field to be replanted. Incorporating cover crops into soil is thought to attract ovipositing adult flies, worsening damage to crop seeds. Well-replicated studies on working farms that test the effect of cover crops on seedcorn maggot are missing, and no studies examine the interaction between cover cropping and insecticide seed treatments. We investigated how cover crops and insecticide seed treatments affect seedcorn maggot damage in conventional field corn. We observed highly variable seedcorn maggot pressure among farms. Cover crops had variable impacts on seedcorn maggot damage. When significant differences were found, rye cover crops reduced seedcorn maggot damage in comparison to bare fields. Our ongoing collaborations with field corn growers will further our understanding of how seed treatments and cover crops affect seedcorn maggot pressure in New York State.