Southwestern corn borer

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Southwestern corn borer
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Lepidoptera
Family: Crambidae
Genus: Diatraea
Species:
D. grandiosella
Binomial name
Diatraea grandiosella
Dyar, 1911
Life stages, clockwise starting at top: adult moth, non-diapausing (spotted) last-instar larva, diapausing (immaculate) larva, pupa, eggs (laid on wax paper), first-instar larva (above date on coin) SWCB life stages.jpg
Life stages, clockwise starting at top: adult moth, non-diapausing (spotted) last-instar larva, diapausing (immaculate) larva, pupa, eggs (laid on wax paper), first-instar larva (above date on coin)
Larval stage 5361231 larval stage s.w. cornborer.jpg
Larval stage

The southwestern corn borer, Diatraea grandiosella, is a moth belonging to the sub-order Heterocera. Like most moths, The southwestern corn borer undergoes complete metamorphosis developing as an egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa and adult. It is capable of entering diapause in its larva stage [1] [2] and under the conditions of a precise photoperiod. [3] Growth and development are regulated by juvenile hormones. [4] The southwestern corn borer has an extensive range. It occurs in Mexico and in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. [5]

Known host plants of D. grandiosella include sugarcane, forage and grain sorghums, broomcorn, and Johnsongrass, teosinte, and millet well as field corn, popcorn, and sweetcorn. [6] It remains a serious agricultural pest of corn (maize).

Pest control

Infestation is sometimes controlled by the use of pheromone traps that lure adult male moths. [7] The practice of carefully timed planting dates, use of early maturing varieties, and the destruction of crop residues are well-established methods for suppressing populations of borer on many crops. [8] Bacillus thuringiensis , a bacterium, is often applied as a pesticide. [9] Chemical pesticides continue to be used for infestation control. [10] Efforts have been underway to breed strains of corn (maize) that are resistant to the southwestern corn borer. The USDA has documented an increase in corn production when genetically engineered corn, resistant to corn borers, was grown in place of non-genetically engineered corn. [11] Under biological control practices, a variety of methods can be used against the borer at one time. This would include the introduction of predators or parasites. [12]

Nocturnal insectivores often feed on moths; these include some bats, some species of owls and other species of birds. Moths are also eaten by some species of lizards, cats, dogs, rodents, and some bears. Moth larvae are vulnerable to being parasitized by Ichneumonidae.

References

  1. ↑ The Insects; Structure and Function, 4th Edition. R.F. Chapman, Cambridge University Press, 1998. ISBN   0-521-57048-4, p 403.
  2. ↑ Bulletin of Entomological Research (1976), 66:75-79 Cambridge University Press, Copyright Cambridge University Press 1976, Diapause of the southwestern corn borer, Diatraea grandiosella Dyar (Lepidoptera, Pyralidae): effects of a juvenile hormone mimic: G. M. Chippendalea1 and C.-M. Yina1a1, Department of Entomology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65201, U.S.A.
  3. ↑ Author (1982). "Diatraea grandiosella". Journal Oecologia. 53 (3): 386–393. doi:10.1007/BF00389019. PMID   28311746.{{cite journal}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  4. ↑ Yina, C.-M.; Chippendale, G.M. (1973). "Juvenile hormone regulation of the larval diapause of the Southwestern corn borer, Diatraea grandiosella". Journal of Insect Physiology. 19 (12): 2403–2420. Bibcode:1973JInsP..19.2403Y. doi:10.1016/0022-1910(73)90244-8.
  5. ↑ Morrison, W. P.; Mock, D. E.; Stone, J. D.; Whitworth, J. Source (1977). "A Bibliography of the Southwestern Corn Borer, Diatraea grandiosella Dyar (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)". Bulletin of the ESA. 23 (3): 185–190.
  6. ↑ Morrison, W. P.; Mock, D. E.; Stone, J. D.; Whitworth, J. Source (1977). "A Bibliography of the Southwestern Corn Borer, Diatraea grandiosella Dyar (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)". Bulletin of the ESA. 23 (3): 185–190.
  7. ↑ "Southwestern Corn Borer, (Diatraea grandiosella) Pheromone Lure". Arbico-organics.com. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
  8. ↑ G. Michael Chippendale, Department of Entomology, University of Missouri, Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata Volume 31, Number 1 Pages 24-35
  9. ↑ Aronson, AI; Shai, Y (2001). "Why Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal toxins are so effective: unique features of their mode of action". FEMS Microbiology Letters. 195 (1): 1–8. doi:10.1111/j.1574-6968.2001.tb10489.x. PMID   11166987.
  10. ↑ The First Decade of Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States. Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo and Margriet Caswell, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service Electronic Report Economic Information Bulletin, Number 11. April 2006.
  11. ↑ The First Decade of Genetically Engineered Crops in the United States. Jorge Fernandez-Cornejo and Margriet Caswell, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service Electronic Report Economic Information Bulletin, Number 11. April 2006. p.6
  12. ↑ Bale, JS; van Lenteren, JC; Bigler, F (2008). "Biological control and sustainable food production". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences. 363 (1492): 761–776. doi:10.1098/rstb.2007.2182. PMC   2610108 . PMID   17827110.
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