Southern Corn Billbug (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) and Plant-Parasitic Nematodes: Influence of No-Tillage, Coulter-In-Row-Chiseling, and Insecticides on Severity of Damage to Corn

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Abstract
The southern corn billbug (SCB), Sphenophorus callosus (Olivier), produces a debilitating type of damage to corn, Zea mays L., and the degree of injury is influenced by cultural practices and insecticides. In 5 years of tests, SCB damage was significantly greater in no-tillage (NT) than in conventional tillage (CT). The use of a “coulter-in-row-chisel” (chiseling) planting technique (modified subsoiling)resulted in enhanced plant growth and yields in both NT and CT conditions, especially in drought conditions. Significantly higher numbers of corn seedlings that were damaged by SCB produced ears in the chiseled NT plots than in the nonchiseled NT treatments. Efficacy of carbofuran and terbufos was greatest during 1979 when moisture was ca. twofold higher than in the other test years. Also, a positive interaction occurred between insecticide treatment and chiseling in NT plots, resulting in greater yield. Populations of plant-parasitic nematodes were variable among treatments, but no significant differences were noted. Analysis of data indicated that nematodes did not produce significant damage to corn growth, nor were any interactions between nematodes and SCB injury apparent.