Research Triangle Park, North
Carolina
March 11, 2008
Source:
Bayer CropScience
Year-after-year, growers work to
increase their corn yields, and most have incorporated Bt
hybrids to help guard against pests and support their efforts.
Refuge acres require growers to plant hybrids that do not have
the Bt genes. These genes are added to hybrids to protect the
plant from European corn borer or corn rootworms. To support
growers’ efforts with refuge acres, they can utilize proven,
reliable insect protection with Aztec® soil-applied insecticide.
With Aztec as part of the insect resistance management plan,
growers will still have high yields, due to the protection
against all species of yield-robbing corn rootworms.
Why are refuge acres so important?
According to the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA),
planting a refuge of non-Bt corn is crucial to ensure European
corn borer or corn rootworms do not develop resistance to the Bt
proteins. Refuge acres help keep the percentage of potentially
resistant insects low by giving them a population of susceptible
insects with which to mate, thus diluting any resistance in
their offspring.
Refuge acres are one answer to maintaining the performance,
efficiency of Bt hybrids, and their success relies on growers
helping to maintain trait integrity. Government regulations
dictate that refuge acres are not optional. Martin Barbre, chair
of the NCGA Biotechnology Working Group, believes growers need
to realize it is not just a rule but also “smart farming.”
“The No. 1 reason for refuge acres is to protect the efficacy of
the Bt hybrids,” Barbre says. “Otherwise, growers may not have
the option to utilize the protection of those hybrids.”
Additionally, Barbre reminds growers to view refuge acres as an
overall positive management practice.
Requirements for refuge acres depend on the location of the
acres and the type of insect protection offered by the hybrid.
If the Bt hybrid contains protection against corn borers, then
the refuge acres must be within the same field as the Bt
hybrids, or planted within a half mile, Barbre says.
For hybrids offering protection against corn rootworm, the acres
must be planted in the same field or in an adjacent field.
Depending on the location, the required percentage of refuge
acres varies. In the Corn Belt, growers must plant 20 percent of
the field, compared to the Cotton Belt where growers must plant
50 percent of the field to refuge acres.
“With higher corn prices, growers are trying to cut back on the
refuge acres,” Barbre says. “But it is as important as ever to
do so with the steady increase in acres planted with Bt hybrids,
and there are not enough non-Bt hybrids to balance the insect
resistance.”
Additional protection from Aztec
Aztec also gives the grower the added protection against many
secondary pests, including cutworm, wireworm, seedcorn maggot,
seedcorn beetle and white grub. It also provides a one-time
application with the power of two modes of action to knock out
soil-residing insect pests. Aztec combines a highly effective
low-rate organophosphate with a proven, synthetic pyrethroid
that is especially tough on cutworm.
With the increase in corn-on-corn acres comes a heightened
threat from corn rootworm.
“It’s the No.1 soil pest in corn, especially those planted
continuously with corn,” says Daren Bohannan, Bayer CropScience
technical service representative.
Aztec effectively controls northern, western, southern and
Mexican corn rootworm larvae for 10 weeks to 12 weeks after
planting. Growers then gain a level of control on their refuge
acres unsurpassed by other soil insecticides.
“Another added bonus of Aztec is that it has no herbicide
interactions,” Bohannan says. “This can be a problem with other
soil insecticides; it lets growers keep their herbicide options
open so they don’t have to worry about crop stress or injury.”
Bayer CropScience LP is the U.S. business of
Bayer CropScience AG.
Bayer AG is a global research-based and growth-oriented
enterprise with core competencies in the fields of health care,
nutrition and high-tech materials. Bayer CropScience AG, a
subsidiary of Bayer AG with annual sales of about EUR 5.7
billion (2006), is one of the world’s leading innovative crop
science companies in the areas of crop protection,
non-agricultural pest control, seeds and plant biotechnology.
The company offers an outstanding range of products and
extensive service backup for modern, sustainable agriculture and
for non-agricultural applications. Bayer CropScience has a
global workforce of about 17,900 and is represented in more than
120 countries.
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