![]() Then take a percentage of cut plants, and use this to determine when to treat. Obtain a good sample from throughout the field. This damage could include feeding holes (caused by small larvae) and cut plants (caused by larger larvae). In each area, inspect a line of 20 plants, keeping an eye out for obvious signs of black cutworm damage. Losses in can vary from 10-80 percent.ĭuring scouting, it is recommend that you visit five areas throughout the field for a total of 100 plants inspected. Instead certain portions of the field may show signs of severe infestation. During one black cutworm larvae’s lifetime, it will destroy an average of five corn plants. Here they feed on the aboveground portion of the plant. In contrast, during wetter periods the larvae reside in the soil during the day and move to the soil surface at night. In plants such as field corn, this usually causes wilting and death. In dry soil conditions, larvae chew on the plant just below the soil surface. Photo Courtesy: The University of Wisconsin-Madison IPCM Pictured Above: Black Cutworm Larvae (Left: 4th Instar, Right: 6th Instar) If a larval instar is picked up and put in your hand, it will often curl into a C shape. Full-grown larvae are about two inches long and have a gray to black color, often “greasy” in appearance. Black cutworm larvae have a distinct appearance that can be used to distinguish them from other crop insect larvae. The black cutworm larvae cause damage to field corn by feeding on portions of the plant. In particular no-till corn fields are extremely susceptible to black cutworm so check these fields first. It is important to continue to check your emerged corn for black cutworm feeding. ![]() have encountered black cutworm damage on corn fields in southern Wisconsin. Several of our agronomists at The DeLong Co. The weather this spring has been particularly conducive to one early season corn pest: black cutworm.
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