The Rural Voice, 1985-01, Page 14HIGH HEALTH STATUS
BOARS -OPEN GILTS -BRED GILTS
"BUILD AROUND THE BASICS"
HEALTH PRODUCTION
PERFORMANCE SOUNDNESS
We have established a new herd of
SPF purebred Yorkshire and
Landrace at the home farm. In ad-
dition, we will have a good selec-
tion of York Landrace open gilts
from our origins& herd. Give us a
call for your new herd establish-
ment or for replacement gilts and
boars.
Gilts & Boars with excellent ROP
figures & Health.
Maitland Manor Farm
R.R. 1, Bluevale
Don Henn
519-335-3240
Bob Richardson
Herdsman
519-335-3768
ATTENTION
FARM ERS
Now is the time of year to
replace that worn barn cleaner
chain.
HUSKY
Pintle Chain 7.99ft.
Hook Link
Chain 11.30ft.
We also carry:
BAUMAN Mfg. Co. CHAIN
for conveyors, manure
spreaders, cornheads,
etc., etc.
LYNN LOWRY
FARM SYSTEMS LTD.
R.R. No. 1 Kincardine at Amberley
395-5286
12 THE RURAL VOICE
MERVYN ERB
Strategy for
controlling rootworm
Since entering the fertilizer busi-
ness in 1978, this is the first
year that I have wide -scale
reports of poor insect control with
soil -applied insecticides.
What's the cause of poor control?
Could it be that our expectations are
too great? Many people are disap-
pointed if they don't obtain 100 per
cent control. After all, an expenditure
of $10 to $15 per acre for an insect-
icide should not just kill insects — it
should kill them ALL. Does this
sound familiar?
There are many factors that affect
rootworm soil insecticide effective-
ness: too low rates, environmental
considerations such as too much or
too little rainfall, and interactions of
these factors. But recent research
points to fields where soil microbes
are accelerating the degradation, or
breakdown, of insecticides in the soil.
The warning sign is on the horizon
and we need to get away from this no-
tion of the automatic use of soil
insecticides to control insect pests,
especially the corn rootworm. We
should consider the concept of in-
tegrated pest management (IPM) to
control pests. This concept stresses
crop scouting, crop rotation, and the
judicious use of insecticides on the
basis of need rather than continued
use, year after year.
The usual instance of rootworm
soil insecticide failure is in fields of
continuous corn where growers tend
to use the same brand of insecticide
year after year. This practice of riding
a good horse to death can lead to in-
sect resistance or, as recent research
indicates, microbial degradation of
the insecticide in the soil, which
renders the corn plant defenseless
against a rootworm attack.
As you know, corn rootworm in-
secticides come in two chemically
distinct classes, the organ-
ophosphates and the carbamate. To
avoid both of these, growers should
consider switching insecticides occa-
sionally. Better yet, rotate your crop.
If corn -after -corn cannot be avoided.
growers should scout their fields dur-
ing July and August for rootworm
beetle buildup. If the rootworm bee-
tle population doesn't exceed one per
plant anytime during this period, and
the field is replanted to corn, there is
little potential for rootworm damage
and no need for a soil insecticide.
If the rootworms aren't there, you
obviously don't need to kill them.
Too many farmers apply rootworm
insecticide year after year in the
mistaken belief that they'll sleep bet-
ter at night. But it's not like auto or
life insurance. The biological changes
brought about in the soil or pest when
the same product is used extensively
must be considered. The point is,
Mother Nature is very adaptable.
The advantages of switching classes
of rootworm insecticides are:
• you avoid accelerated insecticide
breakdown by soil microbes,
• you avoid insect resistance,
• you avoid erratic rootworm control
(the system becomes more stable by
switching insecticides),
• you extend the usefulness of a pro-
duct.
And now for a history lesson.
Rootworm populations were much
higher than normal in northern Il-
linois in 1983 and a number of far-
mers reported erratic or poor control
with planting -time applications of
soil insecticides, primarily Amaze
20G, an organophosphate insecticide
that has been on the market for on;,
three years.
The Amaze performance was ironic