E. Levine et Me. Gray, USE OF CUCURBITACIN VIAL TRAPS TO PREDICT CORN-ROOTWORM (COLEOPTERA, CHRYSOMELIDAE) LARVAL INJURY IN A SUBSEQUENT CROP OF CORN, Journal of entomological science, 29(4), 1994, pp. 590-600
Root injury by western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera L
eConte, and northern corn rootworm, Diabrotica barberi Smith and Lawre
nce, larvae was evaluated in ten cornfields where adult densities had
been monitored the previous August with cucurbitacin vial traps. Traps
consisted of 60-ml perforated plastic vials containing an acetate str
ip coated with carbaryl and powdered squash with high levels of cucurb
itacin, a feeding arrestant. Traps were attached to corn plants at ear
height, and the beetles were collected and sexed at various intervals
throughout the month of August. For all sampling intervals except the
last week of August, female trap capture data explained a significant
(P < 0.05) amount of variability in root injury the following summer.
In contrast, the only case in which combined male and female trap cap
ture explained a significant amount of variability was for the third w
eek of August. However, even for this time interval, female trap data
explained nearly twice as much variability as did total beetle capture
. The best regression equations for predicting larval injury were base
d on mean female capture for the entire month of August (R(2) = 0.77,
n = 9, P < 0.01), mean female capture for the last 3 wk of August (R(2
) = 0.73, n = 10, P < 0.01), and mean female capture for the third wee
k of August (R(2) = 0.82, n = 10, P < 0.001). This study underscores t
he need to develop a trap that captures only female corn rootworms.