Pests
Zea mays L.
A group of pests from the Noctuidae family that damage the vegetative and reproductive organs of maize. Their activity reduces yields and creates conditions for secondary plant infections.
In the reference 5 varieties crop Maize, where this is mentioned in the description.
The most significant species for the crop are the cotton bollworm, the corn earworm, and subterranean species such as the turnip moth and the western cutworm. Cutworms damage young seedlings at the V1–V3 stages by severing stems at the soil surface. The cotton bollworm attacks leaves, tassels, silks, and kernels during the grain-filling stage, leading to shriveling and yield loss. The corn earworm bores into stems and ears, causing deformation, breakage, and rot.
Damage caused by these pests serves as an entry point for fungal infections, including Fusarium and common smut, which contributes to mycotoxin accumulation. In breeding programs, genetic engineering methods are used to control these pests by introducing genes from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt-maize) that encode Cry1Ab, Cry1F, and Vip3A insecticidal proteins. Due to the development of resistance in pest populations to individual toxins, work is underway to create multi-gene constructs.
General information about the subject — on the page Cutworms and armyworms.
Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.
Zea mays L. · Maize
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