A Procedure for Artificially Infesting Field Plots with Corn Rootworm Eggs1

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Abstract
A procedure was developed to quantitatively and uniformily distribute eggs of corn rootworm, Diabrotica spp., in large-scale field plots. Eggs were obtained from field-collected beetles, quantitatively suspended in an agar solution, and dispensed at known rates using a mechanical-pressurized system. The artificial infestations produced are very uniform;; root damage ratings were highly correlated with rate of infestation. The technique is applicable to other soil insects where uniformity of natural infestations is a problem.