摘要：Western and northern corn rootworms, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte andDiabrotica barberi Smith & Lawrence, have been estimated to cause $1 billion dollars in annualcosts (Metcalf, 1986). This estimate is the result of the purchase and application of soilinsecticides, as well as the costs incurred from yield losses from crop damage. The costs forcontrol of corn rootworms are the largest insect management expenditures by U.S. corn producers(Steffey, Gray, and Shaw, 1993). Yield losses arise from larval feeding on corn roots betweenmid-May and mid-June, which reduces water and nutrient uptake by the plant. Larval feedingalso can increase the risk of soil pathogen entry into damaged root tissue, further increasing yieldloss. Damage to the corn plant can occur later in the season from the adult stage of the cornrootworm, when adult beetles feed on pollen, silks, leaf tissue, and exposed kernels (Edwards,Bledsoe, and Obermeyer, 1998).
