Although severe drought conditions have been taking a toll on cornfields throughout Illinois, many growers are reporting that the triple-stacked Great Lakes G3 hybrids, with in-plant corn borer and rootworm protection, are standing up to the dry, hot weather much better than conventional corn.

Entomologists say that dry soil conditions not only stress corn plants, but also tend to foster development of and damage from key insect pests such as corn rootworm. Root damage caused by insects makes it even harder for plants to absorb the moisture and nutrients they need.

Many Illinois growers are discovering considerably more rootworm feeding on their corn treated with soil-applied insecticide compared with the G3 hybrids. As a result, they are reporting their Great Lakes G3 hybrids have significantly healthier plants, including better plant height and standability, in areas experiencing rootworm pressure.

Frank Hardimon, Regional Team Leader for Great Lakes in Illinois, says the dry weather is especially problematic in corn for both insecticide and herbicide performance. “The G3 hybrids are showing better overall plant health because the Bt and RW leads to increased seed set and uniformity of the ears during this hot dry pollination season. The G3 hybrids are also showing the added benefit of Roundup Ready Corn 2 system. Many weeds in corn fields have been difficult to control because the conventional herbicide programs have not had enough rainfall to fully activate them. The built-in safety of these crops is really keeping weed populations under control.”

Plants with soil- and seed-applied insecticides are showing much more drought stress than those with in-plant protection. “The G3 and YieldGard Rootworm plants are much more uniform in tasseling, silking and plant height,” says Tex Young, western region sales agronomist. “What you are seeing is the effect of a complete root system that is genetically protected. The G3 hybrids are then able to pull up enough moisture and nutrients to grow the plant in a more normal fashion.”

“Growers who utilize YieldGard Plus will wind up with healthier roots,” explains Dave Rhylander, Director of Traits at Monsanto. “What we’ve seen in most of our research trails is that the roots [on the YieldGard Plus and YieldGard Rootworm plants] are actually larger than those on conventional corn, so they allow the plant to reach more of the nutrients and moisture in the soil, and as they transfer that up through a healthy stalk, they allow farmers to achieve a higher yield.”

YieldGard Plus is the first corn technology to deliver whole-season, in-plant protection against European and southwestern corn borers and effective and consistent protection against western and northern corn rootworms. YieldGard Plus also offers in-the-bag protection against wireworms, white grubs, seed corn maggots, early flea beetles and black cutworms. In addition, it suppresses earworms, fall armyworms and stalk borers. Great Lakes offers several choices in YieldGard Plus hybrids, along with the Triple-Stacked YieldGard Plus with Roundup Ready Corn 2 hybrids, which they market under the G3 series.

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