Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

Completed Competitive Grant

Pheromone mating disruption: novel, non-toxic control of the European corn borer

Project ID: 1997-19

Abstract

The European corn borer is one of the most damaging insects in Iowa cornfields, causing more than $100 million in crop losses each year. In this project, the sex attractant pheromone of the European corn borer was used to obstruct the ability of the adult male moths to locate females for mating. In the first year, efforts focused on mating disruption in a small area, while in the second year dispensers were deployed on a larger scale and evaluated for efficacy.

Lead investigator: Thomas C. Baker, ISU Entomology, et al

Year of grant completion: 1999

This competitive grant project was part of the Leopold Center's Initiative.

Topics: Biocontrol and Integrated Pest Management