Stalk Borer (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) ecology and integrated pest management in corn

Abstract

The stalk borer, Papaipema nebris (Guené e), is a native North American insect with a broad host range. It frequently damages corn, especially in conservation-tillage systems, and occasionally soybean, in the Midwestern United States. A review is presented of crop injury, especially to corn, brief descriptions of the life stages, degree-day development, and larval host plants along with a discussion of control strategies including planting date, weed control, mowing oviposition sites, burning, insecticide and herbicide combinations, and transgenic corn. EILs and an IPM approach for managing stalk borers in corn are presented.