2003 Performance of Bt-CRW in University Trials

March 11, 2004  11(3):14-15

Joe Lauer, Corn Agronomist

For the first time last year, university agronomists around the Midwest U.S. were able to observe and measure the performance of hybrids with the new Bt event (Mon863) for control of corn rootworm. The Bt-CRW technology offers exciting new possibilities for control of this insect. Seed companies are working to incorporate this technology into their commercial hybrids. Few hybrids were entered into university trials in 2003. I found a total of 13 Bt-CRW hybrids tested in seven states. Table 1 shows the performance of these hybrids in relation to the trial average. The trial average for all locations was 189 bu/A. Across all locations (n=54) Bt-CRW hybrids produced 5.7 bu/A less than the trial average. At seven of these locations, where corn followed corn, Bt-CRW hybrids yielded 8.2 bu/A less than the trial average of 195 bu/A. In 18 of 54 trials (33%), the Bt-CRW hybrid beat the trial average. These results provide the first snapshot of the success for incorporating Bt-CRW into commercial hybrids, and their relative performance with other hybrids that are commercially available.