Planting corn hybrids without Bt protection from European corn borer, corn rootworm, or both will greatly reduce seed costs. However, if not careful, farmers can inadvertently reduce crop revenue if they select hybrids to plant without considering yield potential or insect populations in their fields. Did you plant non-Bt corn hybrids this year to try to save money on seed? Will corn rootworm, corn borer, earworm and other corn insects eat up your profits?

“In times when farm economics are challenging, farmers look for ways to bolster profit margins, such as by reducing input costs. Some may think about planting non-Bt corn. However, farmers should consider the reasons Bt trait technology is not the place to cut,” says Brad Hopkins, Dow AgroSciences biology team leader. He’s in charge of global seed treatments and North American insect resistant traits for the company.

Not only are Bt technologies one of the best proactive ways to protect corn yield, but the costs of managing an insect outbreak in corn without Bt protection can be greater than expected. He says farmers should account for all the costs of managing an in-season pest outbreak and ask: Is it worth the risk of planting non-Bt corn?

Assess your potential insect pressure
“Planting corn without Bt technology may seem like a good decision on paper, but farmers should consider what that could mean for their operation during the season,” says Hopkins. “Every year brings unique challenges, and Bt technology offers cost-effective yield protection if insect outbreaks occur.”

It’s important for farmers to assess potential insect pressure and choose the appropriate Bt trait technology for their acres. In areas with a history of corn rootworm pressure, cutting back on belowground protection can have substantial impact on yield. Even if corn rootworm is not a major concern, farmers should carefully weigh the impact of cutting aboveground Bt protection.

Planting non-Bt corn, or choosing less-than-adequate protection, comes with potential costs not included in the seed purchase. For example, non-Bt corn requires more time to scout and closely monitor pest infestations. If populations reach threshold levels, insecticide applications mean additional inputs and time in the field. And once corn rootworm infestations develop in fields without belowground Bt protection, decreased yield potential is a risk.

Insect damage can quickly reduce yield
Those are the reasons why entomologists like Hopkins still recommend Bt trait technologies as excellent tools for protecting corn yield.

“Bt trait technology is a simple way farmers can get season-long protection against many of the primary insect pests in corn,” Hopkins says. “For the last three seasons, adoption of Bt trait technologies among corn growers has been around 80%, which speaks to the effectiveness and efficiency of these technologies.”

Hopkins says insect damage can quickly erode yield. An infestation of corn earworm can reduce yield by as much as 5% to 7%. Although their numbers have been greatly reduced due to broad adoption of Bt corn, European corn borer can still be common in areas where growers are planting non-Bt corn. Depending on the corn growth stage, a European corn borer infestation could mean a yield loss of 8.3 bushels per acre. If corn is priced at $3.40 per bushel with average yield at 180 bushels per acre, Bt trait technology can provide nearly $78 per acre of yield protection against European corn borer.

Trait technology providing better solutions
Dow AgroSciences offers a choice for corn Bt trait technology so farmers can plant the right technology on the right acre, says Hopkins. SmartStax, which has been on the market for a number of years, is now joined by PowerCore trait technology.

New for planting in 2017, PowerCore is a pyramid of three Bt traits that combines three proteins for broad-spectrum control of aboveground insects in corn. PowerCore is a great choice for farmers with low corn rootworm pressure, he says.

Iowa farmer Bob Henderson used PowerCore trait technology during the stewarded launch, and he says it provides the protection he needs against aboveground pests.

“PowerCore trait technology gives us peace of mind, so we don’t have to worry about black cutworms, corn borers or corn earworms,” Henderson says. “All those insects can take a bushel here or 2 bushels there, but PowerCore alleviates us from having to worry about the aboveground insect pests that attack corn during the season.”

Which corn trait package should you plant?
SmartStax trait technology offers industry-leading protection of above- and belowground insects, especially for growers who have rootworm pressure on their farms.

“Dow AgroSciences has been a leader in the corn insect traits market beginning with the Herculex family of traits and then SmartStax trait technology,” Hopkins says. “With the introduction of PowerCore in addition to SmartStax, farmers now have a choice to plant the right corn Bt trait technology for their farms, depending on field history and agronomic conditions.”

PowerCore and SmartStax are available in the latest germplasm for greater yield potential, he adds. Both technologies are available for 2018 planting, stacked with the Enlist corn herbicide trait, and growers can begin ordering PowerCore Enlist hybrids and SmartStax Enlist hybrids later this summer.

Dow AgroSciences plans to expand its corn insect trait technology portfolio in the future with SmartStax Pro, which builds on SmartStax by incorporating RNA interference (RNAi) technology, an additional and new mode of action to protect against corn rootworm. SmartStax Pro is in the Dow breeding and development program, with an expected launch by the end of this decade. Learn more about corn insect resistant traits at dowagro.com.