Presentations
T11
Pest Management
Tue, Dec 14, 2021
11:00am to 11:50am
T4
Pest Management
Tue, Dec 14, 2021
4:00pm to 4:50pm
New Corn Traits for 2022: What Do They Mean for Insect Pest Management and Bt Resistance?
Bt trait adoption in hybrid corn has been well over 80% nationwide, and this suite of approaches has largely been very successful in managing key insect pests. However, in recent years, many areas in the western regions of the corn belt have been increasingly forced to contend with resistant populations of the western corn rootworm. The story in Indiana and eastward has been somewhat different, with no confirmed reports of resistance and very low pressures from most pests, including rootworms. Beginning in 2022, a novel trait will be incorporated into corn hybrids – this approach uses RNAi technology to cause mortality in rootworm larvae, a very different mode of action from any of the current Bt offerings. Details on how this technology works, what reasonable expectations are, and how/if this is a worthwhile investment for Indiana producers will be discussed during Dr. Krupke's presentation.
Speaker
Christian Krupke
Christian Krupke is a professor in the Dept of Entomology at Purdue University. He completed his doctoral degree in entomology at Washington State University in 2004, and since 2005 has worked at Purdue with responsibilities in insect pest management in field crops (i.e. corn, soybeans, wheat and other small grains), where he leads active applied research and extension programs. Dr. Krupke also teaches a graduate level course in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). His research has focused upon elucidating the strengths and weaknesses of the primary pest management approaches used in corn and soybeans, with special focus upon Bt corn and neonicotinoid seed treatments of corn and soybeans. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts and given dozens of talks on these subjects to fellow researchers, members of USDA, EPA, USFWS, and a range of stakeholder groups including growers of these commodities, beekeepers, and a wide range of conservation organizations.