European corn borer devastated 40% of corn fields in the region last season and the mild winter has farmers worried.

Last Thursday Extension Service agent Ray Biehle met with the Local Growers Association in Taylorville to provide information on identifying this pest in the field, estimating crop damage, and pest management.

Spraying the fields with a Bt toxin has been a standard practice here since the 1940's. However, new hybrid seeds containing bacterial DNA that enables the corn to produce its own Bt toxin are now available.

Local growers are confident that Bt corn is the answer, however not all experts agree. Concerns over the development of resistance to the Bt toxin in the European corn borer have been raised.

Should I plant Bt corn? http://www.ext.msstate.edu/anr/plantsoil/grains/graincrops/corn13.html

All you ever wanted to know about Bt corn http://www.ent.iastate.edu/ipm/icm/1998/1-19-1998/allbt.html

Scouting for European Corn Borer http://ianrwww.unl.edu/ianr/triad/scoutecb.htm

Introduction: The European Corn Borer http://www.ent.iastate.edu/pest/cornborer/intro/intro.html

Biology of the European Corn Borer http://www.bio.org/food&ag/ncfap/corn.htm

Selected Milestones in Northrup King's Bt Corn Development Efforts http://www.nk.com/Bt/timeline.html

European corn borer damage in Bt corn http://www.ent.iastate.edu/imagegal/plantpath/corn/ecb/bteardam.html

Refuges for Resistance Management: Bt Corn and European Corn Borers http://spectre.ag.uiuc.edu/cespubs/pest/articles/199904d.html

Resistance to Bt Toxin in European Corn Borers Due to Incomplete Dominance http://www.bio.net//hypermail/CELL-BIOLOGY/cellbiol.200005/0147.html