The days of relying on a seed treatment or a trait to protect our corn from insects such as wireworm, corn rootworm, cutworm, seed corn maggot, and grubs are over. These products just are not keeping up with the pressures out there. Corn rootworm is also starting to show resistance to some of the genetic trait packages.
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here are many great in-furrow, hopperbox, or planterbox insecticides to help you control these pests. My favorite is Capture LFR. It is easy to use, safe to work with, and very effective. Just mix the amount needed into your pop-up liquid fertilizer that you are already placing in-furrow. No bags to handle, no stirring of seed, and no dusting up or breathing dust as you poor bags. Capture LFR’s formulation is the best formulation on the market for mixing with liquid fertilizers like 10-34-0 and it stays evenly mixed throughout application. Capture is also extremely safe for the seed. Across the U.S., FMC claims through their own trials, university, and third-party trials, that Capture treatments averaged an 11 bushel increase in corn. That is with both seed treatments and without, and with and without traited seed. Eleven bushels per acre is a great return on investment.
To prove this point, go to www.fmccrop.com and check out Capture LFR. There are slides and videos to show you how well application and mixing works with this product.
The use rate for Capture LFR that I like to promote is 4 oz/acre for pests such as wireworms and grubs. I recommend 8 oz/acre if you need corn rootworm control.
Seed placed insecticides are reasonably priced, proven over many years, and give you a better piece of mind than seed treatments or rootworm traits. Be sure to include one of these insecticides to your corn when planting in 2012.
