Early season insect control in sweet corn when using row cover

Abstract

A common technique in cold climates to speed maturity in sweet corn is to start the corn under plastic or floating row cover. Once the corn is from one to two feet tall, the plastic or row cover is removed. Because it is so much farther advanced than sweet corn planted on bare ground the crop attracts early season european corn borer (ECB). Scouting for insect damage is difficult or impossible because the larvae are deep in the plant. Working with two large-scale growers of row cover sweet corn, a successful technique for insect control was identified.