ISU Extension hosting corn rootworm webinar March 26

Farmers, other agricultural professionals, and other interested parties who work with corn following a previous corn crop are invited to attend a corn rootworm management webinar at 10 a.m. on March 26, hosted by Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach, the University of Illinois Extension, and the University of Wisconsin Extension.

'The strong winds of last summer's storms caused damage to many corn fields. Inspections of those fields revealed that many continuous corn fields had roots severely damaged by corn rootworms,” said Virgil Schmitt, ISU extension field agronomist. 'Those damaged roots have caused many growers, input suppliers, and independent crop consultants to re-evaluate the corn rootworm management strategies in those fields,” Schmitt continued.

Webinar topics include a 'Background and a research update on corn rootworms” by Dr. Erin Hodgson, Professor and Extension Entomologist, ISU, 'Bt resistance and corn rootworm management” by Dr. Nick J. Seiter, Assistant Professor and Field Crop Entomologist, University of Illinois, and 'diversifying corn rootworm management to delay Bt resistance” by Bryan Jensen, Entomologist, Integrated Pest Management Program, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

This webinar is free and open to the public and will be offered through ZOOM. While there is no charge to attend, registration is required and can be completed by going to https://go.wisc.edu/p8c11n. After registering, participants will receive an e-mail with instructions and a link for joining the webinar. Participants may join through their web browser, mobile phone, or tablet. They will need to download a free app prior to joining. Participants should join the webinar at least 15 minutes in advance to ensure connections and software are working correctly.

For more information, questions, or assistance with registration, please contact your local Iowa State University County Extension office or Josh Michel, ISU Extension and Outreach Field Agronomist, at (563) 581-7828, or jjmichel@iastate.edu.