April 3, 2014 Mike Gray posted a note into the University of Illinois IPM bulletin about the addition of three more counties to the Yieldgard resistant western corn rootworm saga. The Entomologist also reprimanded the industry for not taking academic recommendations on management of GMO products seriously a decade ago. You may read the
FULL ARTICLE here, and an excerpt below.
"While the greater implementation of best management practices is a step in the right direction — let’s be clear, these practices should have been in place when Bt corn rootworm hybrids were first used over 10 years ago. Accelerated reliance upon the pyramided Bt rootworm products with reduced seed blend refuges will not solve this resistance management challenge. Increased use of soil insecticides, along with Bt rootworm hybrids, will likely only exacerbate resistance development. As I have done in the past, I urge producers to implement a long-term integrated pest management approach for corn rootworms. This includes the use of multiple tactics (over time, not all in the same season), such as: use of a more diverse crop rotation system, use of a non-Bt hybrid in conjunction with a planting-time soil insecticide, rotation of pyramided Bt hybrids, and consideration of an adult suppression program in heavily infested fields."
