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Corn leaf aphid issues becoming a trend

It was another summer of battling corn leaf aphids for many Midwestern farmers. 

University of Illinois entomologist, Nick Seiter, says it was the third straight year that the insects, which migrate into the region on southern storm fronts, have caused pollination issues.

“The period where they’re really reproducing very rapidly is in kind of the late whirl stages on into early reproductive stages.”  He says, “When they get going during that window, they’ll interfere with kernel formation. We’ve seen people talk about some pretty severe yield hits.”

He tells Brownfield aphids are most commonly found on hybrids that produce high sugar content. 

“It’s been a little bit different geography every time.”  He says, “Two years ago, it was really pretty widespread throughout the Midwest. This year it’s been quieter than that, but I know my colleague over in Indiana has been talking about them quite a bit.”

Seiter says producers that have been impacted by aphids should consider a different hybrid and also plan to scout two weeks prior to corn pollination.

Brownfield spoke with Seiter at an Illinois Soybean Association Crop Management Field Day near Decatur.

AUDIO: Nick Seiter – University of Illinois