The European corn borer is economically the main pest in the German corn growing. The sweet corn is particularly attractive for the corn borer and it prefers these plants to any silage and grain corn crops! This preference may lead to the damage being very high – without control. With sweet corn every feeding damage has a direct effect, as already little feeding marks lead to the cob being untradable.
The larvae of the corn borer also cause damage in the plant stem. The result are disturbances in the nutrient supply and later on stability problems. First typical sign for the infestation is the bent tassel. Furthermore, the bores offer ideal entry points for various Fusarium species (stem rot and root rot, smut, etc.), that can additionally endanger the successful marketing. The market and the customer ask for perfect crops and this can be achieved by the use of Trichogramma.
The use of Trichogramma is an established control method with a positive image. A procedure that is highly accepted by the growers, the market and the customers.
With a valuable crop like the sweet corn, the application rate must be doubled. Per hectare and application 100 cards (respectively 1 card per 100 qm/1ar) are used. In case of very small areas, strong infestation in the previous year, exposed locations, wind conditions etc. a safety margin is required.
The application of Trichogramma is repeated in total 3-5 times at intervals of 10-14 days depending on weather conditions and flight.
For the use in sweet corn, we recommend the TrichoKarte. The cards hang safely from the plant and will not be negatively affected by on-site inspections, overhead irrigation or hoeing.
The TrichoKarte is a millionfold used application unit for Trichogramma. It guarantees the user a simple and safe application of the beneficial insects. Every TrichoKarte contains min. 2000 of T. brassicae parasitized eggs that hatch in 7-10 successive waves and immediately start looking for pest eggs.
Pepper: The European corn borer is also controlled in the pepper. The larvae cause extremely high damage here by feeding. When ordering, please indicate that it will be used in pepper.
