April 2023 - 15

Looking Ahead: How to
Control Worms in Sweet Corn
Be prepared for pest outbreaks with Radiant®
R
educing fall armyworm feeding in sweet corn, and
maximizing marketable yield, requires a responsive
season-long control plan relying on multiple modes
of action.
South Florida sweet corn production manager Tom
Perryman considers fall armyworm and silk flies his most
troublesome pests.
" Fall armyworm are a problem throughout the season, "
says Perryman, Hundley Farms, Loxahatchee, Florida. " We
use Radiant to control first instar worms and we try to
time that application just prior to tassel push.
Radiant®
provides fast knockdown and broad-spectrum control of
damaging pests, including fall armyworm.
Proven research
" Larvae can feed on whorls, tassels, silks and ears
leading to a yield and grade reduction. Program
approaches using rotations of insecticide mode of
action are necessary to reduce the chances of
insecticide resistance, " says Jawwad Qureshi at the
University of Florida's Southwest Florida Research and
Education Center.
In University of Florida studies conducted in 2019 in
Immokalee, Florida, rotating insecticide treatments
reduced the number of larvae collected and ears damaged
as compared with the untreated check.
Untreated sweet-corn plots had 46.25% of ears
damaged by fall armyworm, and averaged 1.5 larvae
collected per 20 ears of corn.1
In comparison, Radiant®
SC insecticide applied May 22
with a high-clearance sprayer at a rate of 6 ounces per
acre resulted in 6.25% of ears damaged and 0.25 larvae
collected per 25 ears of sweet corn.1
In the research, Radiant was included first in an
insecticide rotation, including Mustang 1.5 EW and
Coragen 20 SC insecticides.
Keys to successful control
Control of lepidopteran pests such as fall armyworm
can't wait. " With our heat and humidity, sweet-corn pest
populations increase quickly, "
Perryman says.
" If you have fall armyworm populations present in the
field, they can increase fast on you, " he says. " When you
see 4% present, they are moving quickly. By the next day,
Fall armyworm
when you can get into the field to spray, you are likely
already at an 8% or higher worm population. "
Perryman pulls the trigger on insecticide treatments as
soon as fall armyworm populations reach 4% of a field's
total pest population.
" Radiant gives us the fall armyworm control we need. It
does well controlling worm species, " he says.
Rotation matters
Minimizing insecticide resistance by rotating chemistries
is a key component in an Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) program. The unique chemistry of Radiant makes
it the ideal foundation for the vegetable grower's IPM
program. Positioning Radiant early in the season aids this
IPM effort and offers growers an ideal rotational partner.
" Radiant is another tool in our toolboxes for rotational
purposes so we are not repeatedly spraying the same
pesticides, " Perryman says.
Radiant offers consistent season-long control of toughto-control
worms including, corn earworm, armyworm,
western bean cutworm and corn borer, while the
translaminar activity of Radiant controls targeted insects
outside of the direct line of spray. Radiant also has a short
preharvest interval and four-hour re-entry. Radiant also
helps preserve populations of beneficial insects that are so
important to IPM programs.
Contact your local Corteva Agriscience representative
SC insecticide can help
to learn more about how Radiant®
protect your crop from damaging worms.
SC with Jemvelva active, a Group 5 insecticide,
SC insecticide
1
Qureshi, Jawwad and BC Kostyk. " Control of Fall Armyworm with
Labeled Insecticides and Experimental Surfactants in Sweet Corn,
Spring 2019. " Arthropod Management Tests 45.1 (2020): tsaa022.
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April 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of April 2023
