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 E-Mail IMAGE: Corn rows as far as the eye can see in Buchanan County, Iowa. view more  Credit: Original image from Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress collection. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel. A lurking threat that has stymied US corn growers for decades is now returning to the forefront: western corn rootworm. Sometimes referred to as the "billion-dollar bug," the species' tiny larvae chew through the roots of corn plants, causing devastating yield losses. In 2003, farmers began planting a genetically engineered variety of corn known as "Bt," which produces a prote...

Angie Rieck-Hinz LODGING: Root damage by rootworms causes corn to lodge, in addition to hurting yield due to the root injury. Corn Source: More growers report failure of Bt corn traits to provide adequate rootworm control. Corn rootworm continues to be a major pest in the U.S. and is becoming a larger pest management challenge each year in Iowa. Reports from Iowa State University Extension field agronomists in 2020 indicate an increasing number of Bt trait failures across Iowa. Bt traits for corn rootworm management were introduced in 2003 and were rapidly adopted b...