Corn in Mississippi
Should I plant Bt corn?
Bt corn effectively controls both Southwestern and European corn borers and has moderate control on corn earworms and fall armyworms. However, Bt corn does not control the primary insect pests during stand establishment, such as chinch bugs, cutworms, rootworms, wireworms, etc. Thus, using a Bt hybrid will not substitute for the use of a soil applied insecticide at planting.Research data and industry yield trials suggest the inclusion of a Bt event does not always increase hybrid yield potential compared a closely-related conventional isoline. Thus, a grower would not likely recover the higher seed cost of the Bt technology, unless a corn borer infestation significantly reduces the yield level of conventional hybrids. Typically, the Bt technology seed expense is about $10 per acre higher than a conventional premium hybrid. Unfortunately, seasonal corn borer populations are not very predictable. Thus, local historical infestation levels should be used to justify Bt hybrid utilization. Bt hybrids should be used as insurance against a severe corn borer outbreak in areas which traditionally have corn borer populations.
Corn borers have been prevalent throughout the Mississippi Delta for several years and populations in northeast MS (Alcorn south to Monroe county) have increased the past several years.