Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Day 1 – 20 Jan 2026 7:30-11:00 CST (Restricted to NC246 members)

Administrative updates (John Ruberson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

• Hatch funding has not increased but also has not decreased from 24/25 levels, better than this time last year
• New name: AgInnovation North Central and don’t forget about the many useful resources provided, see website www.ncra-saes.org
• Committee responsibilities: must submit reports and focus reports on multistate collaborations across the work, impacts also important
• Current project 10/01-2025-09/30/2030, mid-term review in early 2028 with renewal proposal due 12/1/2029, Annual report due on 3/20/2026
• Looking for a new administrative advisor, seasoned senior AES person from North Central region 

Meeting housekeeping (Silvana Paula-Moraes, University of Nebraska-Lincoln)

• Silvana Paula-Moraes organized our committee participant email address list in three groups (outlook): state representatives and other participants, including academia,  ARS/USDA, group administrative advisor (currently John Ruberson) and NIFA representative; a group with the contact from Industry; and a group with the EPA. The separation in groups allows information to be shared with appropriate groups as needed.
• Consider being state representative if you do not have one for your state, each state has its own way of doing the paperwork to do this
• Reporting form to collect state reports with specific fields that will be useful for making our overall report, please use and fill out, 11 institutions have already submitted, please submit as soon as possible so we can get the overall report in on time: NC246 - Annual report - January 1 to December 31, 2025 – Fill out form

State speed reports

Common issues, general FYIs, and multistate efforts:

• Bt sweet corn sentinel monitoring network, 
• Corn leaf hopper trapping network
• Corn rootworm trapping network
• Great Lakes/Maritimes infrastructure really important, especially for WBCW
• Jurat-Fuentes and Abdelgaffar Bt protein synthesis a huge lift that helps us all
• Many group efforts on collections of pest populations and resistance bioassays
• Discussing pest issues helps identify emerging pests and commonalities
• Slugs and snail pest issues on the rise
• Stinkbugs remain important during ear development in places, becoming important in seedling corn in PA
• Western bean cutworm remains important in places
• Some interest in pyrethroid resistant aphids and soybean aphids in discussions
• Some interest in Helicoverpa armigera introgression and pyrethroid resistance
• Above and below ground pest resistance in general a hot topic as usual (European corn borer, Southwestern corn borer, Corn earworm, Western corn rootworm, Northern corn rootworm primarily, fall armyworm notably absent in this year’s discussions)
• Cotton jassid, billbug, common stalk borer, Mexican rootworm, and a few other unique issues mentioned
• Ants as biological control an interesting project in no-till systems
• David Owens FYI can catch box tree moth in two of our CEW pheromone traps. This is a federally regulated pest of ornamental boxwood. Our state department of ag is really excited and doing quite a bit of work with managing this pest. Apparently they share a major pheromone component. 
• Chris DiFonzo, specimens in Northern MI and Detroit, also in Ontario. 

Retirements: Mike Caprio (Mississippi State University), Bruce Hibbard (USDA-ARS), Blair Sigfried (Pennsylvania State University), Galen Dively (University of Maryland; again)

Bt sweet corn sentinel monitoring network (Galen Dively, University of Maryland)

• No evidence of shift for Vip trait, but do pick up a few larvae up to 3rd instar, corn itself always has a few non-expressing kernels and may get contamination from previous planting so must really clean out planting
• Turning over the reins to Veronica Yurchak (University of Maryland Extension), former graduate student well versed in Bt sentinel monitoring
• Veronica is planning to do the exact same thing as what Galen did unless group has others ideas, and will work with Galen a little bit this spring to get contact information, mailing address, and talk with seed companies to get the seed, ABSTC provides strips to check expression, need to get seed soon for southern states, 
• This network pushed EPA and ABSTC to move to a sentinel approach, which has made a big difference over original resistance monitoring approaches

2027 meeting arrangements

• Face to face meeting has value, seems worth trying to meet in person, but hosting is financially and logistically difficult, no financial risk for hotel lodgings, and had some support from center for hybrid equipment and registration charges, moves that we remove hotel block part of meeting, how reasonable is a hybrid meeting requires AV
• What about meeting in conjunction with ESA national or branch meetings? 
• Keep it at a multiday meeting, so hard to attach that to another meeting
• ESA an issue for folks who teach

Day 2 – 21 Jan 2026 7:30-12:30 CST (Restricted to NC246 members)

Rootworm management and EPNs (Adrian Pekarcik, NC State University)

IRM and management

• Discussion on mismatch between pest pressure and pest management technologies being used
• Yield potential largest driver, need companies to offer high yielding non-BTs with yield stability across sites
• Trait packages not so transparent
• Insurance mentality and why wouldn’t you want everything available to you mentality also there
• Economics can’t pan out for companies or farmers
• Dominic Reisig egghead economic Extension output: https://cals.ncsu.edu/agricultural-and-resource-economics/news/yield-and-profit-impacts-of-planting-non-bt-corn-refuge-in-north-carolina/ Published article: https://academic.oup.com/jee/advance-article/doi/10.1093/jee/toaf312/8324514
• Market share the bottom line for companies not long term and they’re not changing

EPNs

• Everyone seems to be similar with no significant differences, confidence in species composition and viability is a bit unsure, not sure about what is in the soil already, have been having to temper excitement about product, advertised that you get more out of it in year 2 (but after 4 years don’t see differences in many experiments)
• Frustrated with messaging
• Perhaps a soil type component that may be worth checking out, also lots of native nematodes that may impact penetration into the system

(Limited) Insights from the first 20 years of Bt-RW corn hybrids (Christian Krupke, Purdue)

• Paper: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adm7634
• This group stimulated idea and helped us recognize patterns needed for this paper
• Check in with pests more often in a coordinated way with sentinel plots, could have captured changes while they were happening in 2010, can be easy/cheap
• Resistance issues are not a new problem and sociobiology has been thought about, economic piece what you pay today and in the future also worth looking at
• Biggest hurdle is not biology, small seed companies are dying out, so if you want corn you’ll go to the big guys
• Dominic Reisig the economics were great Christian, but incorporating the impacts weighed by population suppression and resistance was even nicer IMO
• Blair Siegfried were the costs of soil insecticides that would have been used in the absence of traits factored into the economic analysis? A: No Q: What about environmental benefits etc.? A: If you are a farmer and you have a binary choice as Bt or no Bt , didn’t ever ask about soil insecticides

ECB resistance, geographic distribution, and more (Kelsey Fisher, Connecticut Ag Experiment Station and Jocelyn Smith, University of Guelph)

ECB trapping network and CT resistance detection

• Paper came out: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaf346
• ECB trapping network caught many more moths in 2025 than 2024, hybrid traps catch moths but people rarely use that lure
• ECB workshop at ESA, did breakout groups and made everyone move and get new conversations, decided to write a forum article in JEE special collection, make a subcommittee on ECB to get a strategy for moving forward

Canada yield trials 

• Figured out a good infestation method using bazooka and larvae
• Dalton Ludwick artificial infestation with FAW failed here. Egg infestation with ECB worked well in the same field areas, though.
• Kelsey Fisher egg infestations work well here too for ECB
• Dominic Reisig I’ve had success with FAW in the past infesting neonates with a paintbrush. Let them spin down into the whorl. CEW we use bazooka, but never tried that with FAW
• More tunneling and longer tunneling in non-Bt and don’t recover ECB from Bt plants; not getting high pressure even with artificial infestation but get more in historical non-Bts than modern non-BT; no yield impact, historical non-Bt also have poorer yield, find them in both stalks and ears, little in ears; need higher infestation pressure to see yield impact, hoping for a bigger natural population next year; parasitism worth keeping in mind too 

Canada sentinel trials and resistance characterization 

•  Sussex, NB and Kentville NS more pressure, with Sussex, New Brunswick still showing damage and larvae in traited plants;
• Tested populations from non-Bt for other sites in lab 
• Cry1Ab alone is Bt11 sweet corn
• 2024 field collection bioassays showed elevated tolerances popping up more places, higher resistance ratios in same areas where originally found, mostly Cry1F and Cry1A.105 for highest resistance ratios

Genetics of ECB resistance (Brad Coates, USDA ARS)

• Tested populations from CAN collected from Bt and non-Bt, both have the alleles but tend to be a tad higher in the Cry1F collections than non-Bt, mostly Z strain coming out of corn 
• CT did find Cry1Ab and saw something different there than Cry1F, and not a significant change in SNPs from Bt and non-Bt some other mechanism likely 
• Discussion around differences in genotyping results folks see based on the methodology they use, impact of E vs Z strain for reproductive isolation and geneflow, historic lab resistant colonies and utility, lost field original CT field population

ECB phenology model (Erik Dopman, Tufts University)

• Paper: https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.12562
• Nick Seiter variation in PDD is that always the mechanism for changing voltinism? A: I don’t know, know there are multiple phenotypes with strong genetic and environmental components to explain, diapause termination in spring time, diapause induction can also be responsible, probably underestimate genetic variation in population phenology
• Yasmine Farhan how plastic these phenotypes are, A: strong environmental component to phenology variation, strong genetic component too period itself >60% variation explained, first flight of bivoltine and then first flight of univoltine rather than offspring of the first observed flight, under laboratory conditions we select out diapause capacity, occasionally induce diapause to make sure we retain that trait, also bring insects in from field on occasion
• Yasmine Farhan induce and breaking diapause two separate things to maintain in lab for experiments, considerations for lab rearing A: depends on goal losing diapause in lab colonies of resistant populations also select for rapid development 
• Diapause is facultative in ECB, only go into diapause if you shorten to 12:12 photo period and then lengthen again to break, varies by species 

2025 outbreak of wheat stem maggot in corn in Nebraska (Justin McMechan, University of Nebraska)

• Paper: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHP-01-19-0009-S
• Wheat stem maggot, Meromyza americana, green planted corn increases your chances of this issue, come in through the whorl of the plant and go down, within 2 inches of the growing point between V3 and V5, get tillering or dead heart
• Likely early spring infestations rather than fall, larvae moved from cover crops into corn
• Corn height shorter when being fed on, documented yield impacts with even just a little bit of feeding 25-90% yield loss in terms of g/plant
• Very little compensation from neighboring plants, so lose yield if you have a damaged plant; Kelley Tilmon Soybeans are champs at compensation.  Corn, not so much.
• For compensation results, is this irrigated or rained corn. If the latter, what was the rain situation in 2025? Answer was rainfed corn. Nebraska had ample rainfall in 2025 but  timing of those rainfall events could have had an impact relative to an irrigated location. 
• If you want to sample or get information about this issue:

https://go.unl.edu/wsm2025

Corn leaf hopper trapping (Maíra Rodrigues Duffeck, Oklahoma State)

• Will see reddening and/or yellowing of leaves in upper part of plant where young leaves are developing with corn stunt, chlorosis streaks caused by many including corn stunt, also produce many ears
• Two bacteria spiroplasma and a phytoplasma and two viruses are causal agents in South America, 2 bacteria 1 virus in US
• Risk interaction between hopper populations and disease incidence
• Silvana Paula-Moraes after V8 corn problem not a big deal, needs to be considered for risk factors, A: need to extend application time because other research has hybrids with tolerance, most germplasm very susceptible in US, scouting until R1 in US, what is low # for hoppers, what is high numbers? 
• Dalton Ludwick have you been able to detect the spiroplasma from colonies feeding on infected plants? A: can’t keep pathogen in system in lab, in terms of high levels of pathogen in plant, some others in Wooster have good colonies with pathogen in their corn, can detect disease
• Acquisition by CLH must have a certain load of pathogen in plant and pathogen must be able to increase in plant before new hoppers can acquire, lots of questions still, need to get more research information and more funds to do it
• If you would like to join the working group and receive updates on corn leafhopper activity in the U.S., please email me and I will add you to the mailing list. Email: mairodr@okstate.edu

Corn leaf hopper (Jose Carlos Santiago and Pat Porter Texas A&M)

• Late planted and second crop corn was most impacted in 2024 outbreak
• 2025 research focused on efficacy, some suppressive effects of seed treatments and in furrow application in V9 but breaks down
• Plant resistant corn hybrids, manage volunteer corn, plant as early as possible, use a high rate of seed treatment especially for late planted or second corn crop, foliar insecticides through R1
• The younger the plants at infection the worse the impact
• To get TX corn leafhopper updates in 2026, Text the word Corn   to 833 717 0325.

 Neonicotinoids – banned in New York, soon to be Connecticut.  What do we do in their absence? (Kelsey Fisher)

• Kelley Tilmon seedcorn maggot trials, using same universal neonic seed treatments, can easily get seedcorn maggot depending on conditions; manure incorporation near planting; BASF is creating new diamides for seedcorn maggot – not labeled on all field crops yet.
• David Owens, have it in fields that are tilled, corn can tolerate a lot of seed corn maggot activity something like 10-20%, soybeans and snap beans not so much, diamide is effective in sweet corn also soybeans, increase in pythium problems sometimes go together but not always; losing neonic seed treatment for vegetables would be very hard, the economics are so different.
• Tracey Baute haven’t seen a big issue and they did adopt diamides and yes sometimes there is still some injury happening and that often occurs when there was already significant risk cold conditions, etc. Ontario has become relaxed on enforcement and some are bringing in NSTs from states and low level of use and not a big seed corn maggot take over, Mike Hunter doing some work on seed corn maggot, play around with planting dates and cover crops, monitoring sticky traps; Industry response to regulation did bruise some relationships, no significant backlash, grower groups did try to fight, ways to prove need provided at length in a presentation 
• https://cals.cornell.edu/integrated-pest-management/research-initiatives/current-projects/alternatives-neonic-insecticides/seed-treatment-alternatives
• https://www.northeastipm.org/ipm-in-action/the-ipm-toolbox/exploring-alternatives-to-neonicotinoid-seed-treatments-case-studies-in-vegetable-crops/
• Kelsey Fisher banned use of foliar neonics in CT on golf courses last year

 Day 3 – 22 Jan 2026 7:30-1:30 CST (Open to Industry)

Closed session with Bayer

Persistent biocontrol (Elson Shields, Persistent Biocontrol)

• $70/acre and can get a 50% deal for first trial on 65 acres
• Has inoculated 58,000 continuous corn acres and 75,000 acres for alfalfa snout beetle in alfalfa 
• Q: what about soil type? Also what about in-furrow insecticides and nematicides on corn seeds? A: Sandy-loams add in a second species Hb, stick with Sf in heavier soils; traits Cry 3s or 34/35 give enough help by year 2 they can eliminate soil insecticide, but older products like Duracade they recommend they keep soil insecticide; nematodes struggle with really high rootworm populations so improves standability; soil insecticide 2-3” of soil but nematodes move in soil and can target whole rootsystems and move 3’ so no evidence these are a problem; free living EPNs non feeding in soil and nematicides haven’t been an issue and a lot of these nematicides are feeding inhibitors 
• Q: what is the variation of yield? A: Yield map resolution is very poor, just going on what the farmers tell me, whole field total, 3-5 bushel not that believable 15-40 bushels is significant
• Email Elson for questions 

ABSTC Updates (Renata Pereira, Corteva) 

• Agricultural Biotechnology Stewardship Technical Committee has a steering committee, with subcommittees in IRM stewardship, Corn IRM, Cotton IRM, and NTO
• Haven’t seen shifts in susceptibility for ECB (16 years), SWCB (23 years), and TBW (17 years)
• Looking for corn borer monitoring program collaborators
• Galen Dively Q: Do you collect enough to do it on the first generation or do you rear them first? A: try to test F1s but sometimes rear to F2s to generate data, sometimes test 5-6 proteins
• Galen Dively fitness costs means you lose a lot of resistance if you rear them, Matt Caroll we try not to rear them and are much better at testing F1s than the past
• Jocelyn Smith: where were ECB collected and how many populations A: 12 field collections in Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, also try to engage extension to help them look for unicorns and reach larger areas
• Fangneng Huang Q: about discriminating dose, ECB in ngs but SWCB in ug also mL vs cm2 diet incorporated or ?, A: incorporated methods for SWCB and ECB is overlay which is why the doses are different
• Pat Porter Q: return of single traits to the market, off patent registrations; A: can’t comment ABSTC is Bt registrants is always open and represent historic registrants, most recent off patent registration was granted in October and they are out there and ABSTC is open to others joining, have to talk directly to the people registering them and the rate to market and rationale

European corn borer resistance to Bt (Fei Yang, University of Minnesota)

• Has been sampling ECB in MN and WI in 2023 and 2024 for F2 families for bioassays with diagnostic dose overlay bioassay using Jocelyn Smith’s published doses except increased Cry2Ab2 due to survivors, no 3rd instar or above survivors, very low resistance to Cry1, but Cry2Ab2 resistance is high with 14 populations finding large larvae after 7 day bioassay
• No evidence of cross resistance to any Cry1 proteins using purified protein, leaf tissues, Cry2Ab2 resistant (RR) able to overcome low (commercial) and high (experimental) expression plants in tissue bioassays and whole plant bioassays, RS also some survival with less on high expression plants
• Discussion around doses used, Red River valley conduit, IRM practices, why do we see ECB in continuous corn in this area

Corn earworm seasonal activity (Bukola Molake, University of Delaware)

• Comparing week of year when 10% of captures occurred and week of year 90 when 90% of captures occurred relative to cumulative proportions (40N latitude used as N vs S) for Lawton et al 2022 data set (~41 years of data)
• Early season activity shifting early regardless of trap type across 41 years have moved 23 days in N and 84 days earlier in S (about 2 days a year), black lights 8 days earlier; with similar shifts for week of 90% capture so not getting longer on back end
• Temperature increases do correlate with earlier captures and see less and less later in the season, maybe has something to do with how long we trap
• Lots of useful discussion regarding how and how long we trap, potential issues with data set, armigera, etc. 

IRAC insecticide performance/resistance surveys (Graham Head, Bayer)

• Lack a single source of truth for current resistance status of key pests/products, vary in how, where, how much we’re looking
• Southern entomologists run an annual survey and rate efficacy based on their trials but they don’t share it that broadly, Don Cook will start putting the effort into the MidSouth Entomologist journal, interested in pulling data from the publication into an analyzable database, useful and sets up good conversation, will share draft with group
• Silvana Paula-Moraes willing to be point person and looking for a place to publish maybe AMT, should think about how it will be used, but highlight we should be aware about data quality issues considering pure estimation and data from trials with replications, etc.
• Kelley Tilmon - Fred’s soybean survey is another model. Many people in the Midwest don't contribute to Fred Musser's annual soybean pest survey because of concerns about 'how accurate is this data.' But a few of us do, and I see real value in it.  The data aren't perfect, but it still shows signal over time. Isaac Oyediran: any reason why they are not contributing to the FM's annual report?
• Nick Seiter doing this will reveal holes where we have species we don’t have good data on and will have good data for a few too
• Great new purpose and value of a regional project

2027 meeting location and committee organization

Proposed meeting locations:

• CMREC Clarksville Maryland with Kelly Hamby
• San Antonio, Texas with Pat Porter and Jose Carlos Santiago
• Pensacola, Fl possibility with Isaac Esquivel 
• Tuscon or Phoenix, AZ  with Jocelyn Smith and maybe get Bruce Tabashnik or someone local? great spots can we host elsewhere, have met outside the area in the past, local arrangements probably needed, USDA can’t stay just anywhere 
• Bayer hosting? Maybe, have to pass security checks for visiting on site. 

Why in person? 

• Nick Seiter soybean committee fully remote and dead or dying. With the caveat but wouldn’t have been able to come this year in person. Kelley Tilmon agrees it was the death of S1080. 

Hosting considerations:

• David Buntin In Savannah my total cost was about $6500.  I charged $150 per person expecting about 40 folks. The hotel had a minimum food charge. But my dean gave me $2500 to help with the meeting.  I came out about even. But i agree to be conservative on the room night guarantees. Had a minimum food charge with hotel. Nice if you have a conference coordinator that can help you. 
• Kelly Hamby what is a reasonable $ for hotel and registration for people to be able and willing to come in person? That is also an important caveat, government rates vary regionally. Pensacola was quite affordable IMO. Be aware that collecting $ costs something these days

Can we move time?

• Nick Seiter I'm not sure if the long-term plan for NCB is for it to keep meeting in late April, but that timing is less than ideal. The older spring break timing is fine.
• See notes on previous day’s discussion about tacking a 3 day meeting onto other meetings, also believe 2025 meeting went through how we go to this week and why it is the best week despite weather problems

Final decision: 

• Central Maryland Research and Education Center- Clarksville Facility, 4240 Folly Quarter Rd, Ellicott City, MD 21042 January 19-21, 2027
• Chair Adrian Pekarcik, Co-Chair Kelly Hamby, Secretary Jocelyn Smith
• San Antonio, TX January 18-20, 2028

During the reporting year, NC246 successfully launched the new project cycle and advanced the 2025 milestone: “Initiation of new project… Coordination of research teams and initiation of research projects for Objectives 1, 2, and 3.” Research teams across more than two dozen U.S. states and Canadian provinces conducted extensive field monitoring, laboratory assays, resistance screening, and data synthesis to address emerging and persistent arthropod threats to corn. These activities directly supported the project’s core objectives—identifying resistance, improving IPM and IRM recommendations, and advancing understanding of pest ecology and movement.

The activities and outputs described below provide essential baseline information on key arthropods in corn, establish coordinated efforts to address project objectives, and serve as a foundation for achieving future milestones. NC246 members collaborate widely to monitor key arthropod pests of corn and detect resistance to management tools, while also establishing new monitoring programs for emerging pests such as corn leafhopper, or problems like Bt resistance in European corn borer. Members have additionally developed novel tools to support resistance monitoring, including bacterial clones that produce individual plant‑incorporated protectants for use in resistance assays and high‑throughput DNA‑based methods for rapid detection of resistance alleles.

Multi-state Activities and Short-term Outcomes:

NC246 helps its members rapidly respond to emerging pest issues and provide timely updates about pest populations:

• Corn leafhopper monitoring network led and coordinated by Ashleigh Faris (Oklahoma State Univ.) in response to the corn leafhopper - a new corn pest from Central and South America that vectors several diseases to corn - to track its distribution and monitor plants for disease. States participating in this project represent the Great Plains, Southeastern, and MidAtlantic regions.
• Ashley Dean and Erin Hodgson (Iowa State Univ.) and Tracey Baute (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness) coordinated a multi-state corn rootworm monitoring network consisting of 145 traps across 9 U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces. A total of 145 traps were monitored in 2025.
• The Great Lakes & Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network (Canada) led by Tracey Baute monitors western bean cutworm populations and in 2025 included 1168 trap sites across 12 states and provinces in 2025.
• Francis Reay-Jones (Clemson) led a stinkbug monitoring network across 6 southeastern states to evaluate community composition.
• Kelsey Fisher (Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station) and Jocelyn Smith (Univ. of Guelph) coordinated a European corn borer pheromone trapping network across corn production regions in the U.S. and Canada.

Understanding and detecting insecticide resistance helps avoid product failures and preserve technologies for more effective corn management. Work facilitated by NC246 and accomplished by our members includes:

• Sentinel plot network coordinated by Galen Dively, Kelly Hamby, and Veronica Yurchack (Univ. of Maryland) since 2017 to monitor for Bt resistance in sweet corn by European corn borer includes 28 U.S. states and 5 Canadian provinces. This network pushed EPA and ABSTC to move to a sentinel approach for monitoring resistance.
• Dominic Reisig (NC State Univ.) screened corn earworm populations from the southeast and Virginia for resistance to VIP toxin.
• Francis Reay-Jones (Clemson), David Buntin (Univ. of Georgia), and Dominic Reisig (NC State Univ.) summarized a dataset of yield from Bt and non-Bt corn plots in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina from 2009-2023 (Reay-Jones et al. 2025). Results show that corn earworm resistance to Bt Cry toxins and yield loss are more pronounced and evident in later planted corn, suggesting that yield benefits from planting Bt corn may occur more frequently than previously documented in the southeast.
• Silvana Paula-Moraes (Univ. of Florida) led a multistate collaborative study documenting the performance of the main insecticides used in the U.S. for fall armyworm management, with practical implications for management recommendations. In addition, they examined migratory patterns and estimated the native origins of the moths using stable hydrogen isotopic ratios in wing tissues as a biogeochemical marker. The results indicated a high probability of reverse migration, with moths originating from the U.S. Corn Belt, with a greater probability of returning to the edge of the Gulf from Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, and Wisconsin.
• Led by Fangneng Huang (Louisiana State Univ.), the susceptibility of 24 fall armyworm (FAW) field populations collected from corn, sorghum, and grasses/rice across 7 southern states were evaluated for four commonly used insecticides. No correlations in susceptibility were detected among the four insecticides. Overall, FAW populations in the southern U.S. have developed substantial resistance to λ‑cyhalothrin and diflubenzuron, with low to moderate resistance to chlorantraniliprole and relatively low resistance to methoxyfenozide. The results have been published (Patla et al. 2025).
• In collaboration with Univ. of Guelph and Ohio State Univ., Juan Luis Jurat-Fuentes (Univ. of Tennessee) and NC246 members developed and used a cost effective, DNA-based, highly multiplexed (HiPlex) tool and associated bioinformatic pipeline to identify resistance alleles to Plant Incorporated Protectants (PIP; i.e., Bt toxins) in populations of European corn borer across the US and Canada. Results identified a deletion in a Cry1F receptor gene as associated with resistance to Cry1F in Canada and detected this deletion in European corn borer samples collected in the US.
• Juan Luis Jurat-Fuentes (Univ. of Tennessee) compared susceptible and resistant populations developed by NC246 collaborators in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas, at the proteomic, transcriptomic, and genomic levels to identify mechanisms of resistance to Cry and Vip3Aa in CEW and to Vip3Aa in FAW. Outputs include the identification of reduced toxin binding as a common mechanism of resistance to Vip3Aa, and the identification of genes in loci that show variability associated with resistance to Cry or Vip3Aa PIPs in CEW and FAW.
• Juan Luis Jurat-Fuentes (Univ. of Tennessee) developed an optimized protocol to develop bacterial clones producing individual PIPs that are structurally identical to the PIPs expressed by Bt corn for resistance monitoring. NC246 members in Arizona, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, Texas, and Canada used these to monitor resistance for pests of corn (fall armyworm, corn earworm, European corn borer, Western bean cutworm) and in resistance-related research.
• NC246 members Craig Abel and Brad Coates (USDA-ARS), Erin Hodson (Iowa State), and Greg Sword (Texas A&M) are coordinating a national response to invasive armigera by determining effects of genomic introgression that transferred the cyp337b3 gene causing pyrethroid resistance to native H. zea, the corn earworm (CEW), and devising mitigation strategies. Emily Bick (UW-Madison) and Erin Hodgson collected several CEW populations for the study and information on prevalence of resistance was communicated with stakeholders.
• USDA ARS in Ames, IA, cooperated with NC246 participants Kelsey Fisher (Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station) and Erik Dopman (Tufts Univ.) to collect ECB from sweet corn including Bt hybrids that express Cry1Ab and Cry1A.105 + Cry2Ab2 proteins. Finding ECB in Bt hybrids represented the first reported instance in the U.S. Genotypes of these ECB collected from Cry1Ab and Cry1A.105 + Cry2Ab2 showed no association with resistance. Results from these molecular assays suggest that abcc2 is not involved in ECB resistance to Cry1Ab or Cry1A.105 + Cry2Ab2 and likely involves a separate genetic locus.
• NC246 members Craig Abel and Brad Coates (USDA ARS), Julie Peteron (Univ. of Nebraska), and Jocelyn Smith (Univ. of Guelph) participated in Research under the USDA-NIFA-BRAG grant (#2021-33522-35756), “Insect Resistance Management: Evaluating the Impact of Blended Refuges and the VIP3A Bacillus Thuringiensis Toxin on Western Bean Cutworm”, to monitor for Vip3A resistance in western bean cutworms in North America.

NC246 members also optimize production and pest management strategies to better manage pests while reducing non-target impacts. For example:

• Dalton Ludwick (USDA ARS, Columbia, MO) led a study designed to understand the relationship between modern corn hybrids and European corn borer infestations. This study was conducted at seven locations with eight NC246 scientists. Data collection included ECB injury to the plant, specifically, tunnel length, number of tunnels, and position of each tunnel relative to the base of infested as well as adjacent plants. Leaf samples were collected in Connecticut, Iowa, and Ontario and DIMBOA levels will be quantified from 12 commercial hybrids tested.
• NIFA-AFRI-funded project led by Julie Peterson (Univ. of Nebraska), Jose Santiago Gonzalez and Angel Helms (Texas A&M), and Nick Seiter and Joseph Spencer (Univ. of Illinois) continued investigating possible non-target effects of persistent entomopathogenic nematode strains used for corn rootworm control in continuous corn fields.
• In 2025, John Tooker (Penn State) and Christian Krupke (Purdue) completed the second year of a four-year collaborative project exploring the diversity and functions of ants in no-till corn and soybean fields using a 2x2 factorial experiment (factor 1: high or low abundance of ants); factor 2: presence/absence of cover crops) across two fields sites in Pennsylvania. Nine ant species limited insect pest species and abundance of weed seeds. Cover crops improved ant abundance and function which significantly lowered weed abundance.

Outputs:

Selected Outputs:

• Multiple NC246 members (IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, ND, NE, OH, ON, SD, and WI) and associates authored a 2025 Science paper that analyzed 12 years of data generated from university field trials and farm survey data concerning Bt-corn adoption rates among corn growers in the North American Corn Belt and pest resistance. We found that Corn Belt growers plant more Bt corn than is optimal, especially in the eastern Corn Belt, and advocate for moving towards a more diversified seed supply. This paper has been downloaded >6,100 times and cited 4 times in 11 months. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adm7634
• Handy Bt Trait Table (https://www.texasinsects.org/bt-corn-trait-table.html). This resource, maintained by Chris DiFonzo (Michigan State) and hosted by Pat Porter (Texas A&M) continues to document insect resistance events to the specific toxins used in commercial trait packages for transgenic corn hybrids. The 2025 table has been updated to include resistance events for southwestern corn borer and European corn borer from Canada and New Mexico, respectively. The control column indicates whether traits are effective, or if insects have localized or widespread resistance to them. Single-trait hybrids were aggregated into Table 1 since they are known to increase resistance development and have largely been replaced by stacked-trait hybrids, but are still available for purchase.
• NC246 members from 24 states contributed to the Crop Protection Network’s Corn Invertebrate Loss Estimates from the United States and Ontario, Canada — 2025, which documents estimated yield losses in U.S. and Ontario corn attributed to insect pests across different geographic regions. These estimates are informed by statewide surveys, input from stakeholders—including extension personnel, industry representatives, and farmers—and the professional experience of contributors. See Reisig et al. 2025. https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/publications/corn-invertebrate-loss-estimates-from-the-united-states-and-ontario-canada-2024

Extension Webinars, Videos, and Podcasts:

1. Baute T, Wist T. 2025. The Agronomists, Ep 190: Early season pest problems with Tracey Baute and Tyler Wist. RealAgriculture Podcast (Live). March 25, 2025. https://www.realagriculture.com/2025/03/the-agronomists-ep-190-early-season-pest-problems-with-tracey-baute-and-tyler-wist/
2. Smith JL, Stopps G, Smith L. 2025. The Agronomists, Ep 221: Corn rootworm challenges with Dr. Jocelyn Smith and Greg Stopps. RealAgriculture Podcast (Live). December 8, 2025. https://www.realagriculture.com/2025/12/the-agronomists-ep-221-corn-rootworm-challenges-with-dr-jocelyn-smith-and-greg-stopps/.
3. Purdue’s Pest&Crop Newsletter reached over 178,000 unique page views and delivered weekly updates to 3,800 subscribers across Indiana and neighboring states. Surveys showed that readers found the information timely (100%), improved their pest identification and understanding (95%), and frequently based treatment decisions on newsletter content (88%). Most subscribers (70%) rely on Pest&Crop as their primary in‑season pest management resource, and 91% shared the information with colleagues or clients. https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/pestcrop/ 
4. Texas A&M’s From the Field IPM podcast, with 622 subscribers, provides short regional updates on pest issues. The audience includes producers (51%), industry (18%), and consultants (14%). In 2025, David Kerns recorded 22 corn leafhopper updates, leading to substantial knowledge gains among growers—97% for identification, 94% for foliar insecticide recommendations, and 92% for seed‑treatment and management practices. Growers estimated the economic value of this education at $18.23 per acre. https://www.texasinsects.org/agriculture-audio-updates-home.html

Conference Workshops:

• Kelsey Fisher (Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station), Brad Coates (USDA‑ARS), and Jocelyn Smith (University of Guelph) organized a European Corn Borer workshop at the 2025 Entomological Society of America (ESA) Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon. The session brought together industry, extension, and academic participants, including NC246 members, early‑career faculty, and graduate students.

Selected Conference Presentations:

1. Cramer M, Hamby K. 2025. Predicting slug injury in corn and the role of natural enemies. Symposium: Member Symposium: Management of Snails and Slugs in Agricultural Systems. ESA National Meeting. Portland, OR, USA (~45 people)
2. Cramer M, Hamby K. 2025. Leveraging carabid beetles: Understanding slugs in corn and the role of natural enemies. Symposium: Carabid Beetles as Biocontrol Agents: Ecological and Agricultural Perspectives Eastern Branch ESA Meeting, Harrisburg, PA, USA (~20 people)
3. Dwyer T, Yang F. 2025. Managing a billion-dollar bug: Bt resistance of European corn borer in Minnesota and Wisconsin (U.S.). International Working Group of Ostrinia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 20-28.
4. Hamby K, Cramer M. 2025. Preventative insecticides reduce injury but do not increase yield in Bt and non-Bt corn. Symposium: Applied Agriculture Research Updates in the Eastern Branch Eastern Branch ESA Meeting, Harrisburg, PA, USA (~50 people)
5. N’gona Y, Farhan Y, Smith JL, et al. 2025. Frequency of molecular markers linked to Cry1F resistance in European corn borer from the USA. ESA Annual Meeting. Portland, Oregon, USA. Invited oral presentation in the symposium “Leading with passion and innovation: Perspective from those shaping the history of transgenic crops”. November 9-12.
6. Reay-Jones FPF, Buntin D, Reisig D. 2025. Continued monitoring of resistance evolution in Helicoverpa zea to Bt corn in the southeastern United States. Annual Meeting of the ESA, Portland, OR, November 9. (invited presentation)
7. Reay-Jones FPF, Bryant T, Greene J. 2025. Spatial dynamics of stink bugs in corn. Symposium title: A Multi-State Update on Stink Bug Invasions and Addressing the Growing Threat to Southeastern Agriculture. Annual Meeting of the Southeastern Branch of the ESA, Baton Rouge, LA, March 11. (invited presentation)
8. Reay-Jones FPF, Buntin D, Reisig D. 2025. Yield benefits of Bt corn in the southeastern U.S. NC246: Ecology and Management of Arthropods in Corn Multistate Research Project Annual Meeting. Pensacola Beach, FL, January 22. (invited presentation)
9. Smith JL. 2025. Perspectives on the ecology and evolution of Bt corn collaborations in Canada. ESA Annual Meeting. November 9-12, 2025. Portland, Oregon, USA. Invited oral presentation in the symposium “Leading with passion and innovation: Perspective from those shaping the history of transgenic crops”.
10. Smith JL. 2025. Bt Resistance in European corn borer in Canada. Bayer Academic Summit.
11. Smith JL, Kelly J, Glasgow, et al. 2025. The resurgence of European corn borer in Canada. 29th IWGO Conference. International Working Group on Ostrinia and other maize pests. Putrajaya, Malaysia. Invited oral presentation. October 28-30.
12. Yang F, Dwyer T, Jurat-Fuentes JL, et al. 2025. Bt resistance in a billion-dollar bug, European corn borer in Minnesota and Wisconsin. NC246 Workshop on Bt Resistance in ECB, Portland, OR, Nov 8.
13. Yang F. 2025. Monitoring of Bt Resistance in European Corn Borer across MN and WI. 2025 Bayer Academic Summit, St Louis, MO, March 24-26. 

Selected Extension Presentations:

1. Coates BS, Hodgson EW, Abel CA. 2025. Pyrethroid resistance in corn earworm: acquisition from an invasive relative and impacts on management of sweet corn. Iowa State Univ. Crops Team. March 2, 2025.
2. Hamby K. 2025. Wildlife-friendly insect management in corn and soybean farming, Land & Wildlife Seminar Series, October 15, 2025. attendees: 30
3. Hodgson E, Shroeder T, Xu J, et al. 2026. Rootworm Reckoning. Southwest Agricultural Conference. January 6, 7, 2026. Ridgetown, ON. attendees: ~200
4. McMechan AJ. 2025. European corn borer: An Old Foe with Emerging Resistance Challenges. Wisconsin Ag. Classic Conference. Wisconsin Dells, WI.
5. McMechan AJ. 2025. Wheat stem maggot: A pest of cover crop to corn transition system. Nebraska Independent Crop Consultants Association Meeting. Kearney, NE.
6. Peterson J. 2025. What’s New in Entomology: Western Bean Cutworm, European Corn Borer, Western Corn Rootworm, Corn Leafhopper & Chlorpyrifos Regulations Updates. Nebraska Extension Crop Production Clinics. Gering, NE.
7. Peterson J, Cafaro La Menza N, Whitney T. 2025. Wheat stem maggot as a pest of corn moving out of terminated cover crops. Wheat Variety Trials Field Day, Grant, NE.
8. Peterson J, Rilaković GA. 2025. Research Updates for Aerial and Other Application Methods Targeting Corn Insect Pests. Nebraska Aviation Trades Association Conference, Kearney, NE.
9. Peterson J, Colombo da Luz PM, et al. 2025. Focus on Corn Insect Pest Management. Nebraska Extension Crop Production Clinics. North Platte, NE.
10. Peterson J. 2025. What’s New in Entomology: Western Bean Cutworm, European Corn Borer, Western Corn Rootworm, Corn Leafhopper & Chlorpyrifos Regulations Updates. Nebraska Extension Crop Production Clinics. Gering, NE.
11. Reay-Jones FPF, Schardong I. 2025. Corn insect management. Corn and soybean field day. Edisto REC. Blackville, SC. July 24.
12. Reay-Jones FPF. 2025. Overview of integrated pest management. South Carolina New and Beginning Farmer Program – IPM Workshop. Virtual Meeting, July 11.
13. Smith JL. 2025. Corn rootworm research. Ontario Soil Network Road Trip – Chatham-Kent and Ridgetown. August 28, 2025. Ridgetown, ON. Field tour presentation to 23 Grain Farmers of Ontario delegates, research committee members, and colleagues.
14. Smith JL. 2025. Current Bt corn research. Grain Farmers of Ontario Research Tour. August 14, 2025. Ridgetown, ON. attendees: 23
15. Smith JL, Kelly J, Congden C. 2025. Perennial European Corn Borer Field Day. August 19, 2025. Kentville, NS. attendees: 12
16. Smith JL, Pfeffer A, Congdon C, et al. 2025. European corn borer Update and Management Strategies. Webinar. March 20 and 28, 2025. attendees:  ~120
17. Tooker J. 2025. The challenge of slugs in no-till crop fields.
1. Seven presentations from Jan 29-Mar 10. attendees: 730 total
18. Tooker J. 2025. Using cover crops and IPM to control insect and slug pests, Bedford Farm Bureau Co-op Pesticide Update. Feb 28. attendees: 120
19. Tooker J. 2025. Managing Slugs in No-till and Cover Crop Systems (virtual presentation), Farming for the Future Conference, Van Buren Conservation District, Paw Paw, MI, Mar 12. attendees: 65
20. Tooker J. 2025. The relationship of pests and predators, Soil-Con, Kosciusko County Soil and Water Conservation District, Syracuse, IN. Mar 18. attendees: 180
21. Tooker J. 2025. Managing Slugs in No-till and Cover Crop Systems (virtual presentation), Ontario Soil Network, Ontario, Canada. Jun. 4. attendees: 49
22. Tooker J. 2025. Slugs in no-till production: IPM and cover crops to the rescue, Indiana CCA Conference. Dec 9. attendees: 103 (2 sessions)
23. Yang F. 2025. Research Update on Corn Insect Pests. 2025 CPM Short Course and MCPR Trade Show. Dec. 2-4th, 2025, Minneapolis, MN.
24. Yang F. 2025. Strategic Farming: Keeping track of changes in corn insect challenges. Feb. 26th, 2025, Webinar.
25. Yang F. 2025. Research Update for Management of Corn Rootworm and European Corn Borer. 2025 Research Update for Ag Professionals
26. Yang F. 2025. Latest information for Corn Earworm, trapping data, Bt Resistance, efficacy trials. 2025 MFVGA Expo Conference, Jan. 10th, Apple Valley, MN.
27. Yang F, Hunter N, Dwyer T. 2025. Seed treatment for corn rootworm control and Bt resistance in European corn borer. 2025 MN AG Expo, Mankato, Jan 22-23, 2025.
28. Yurchak V, Dively G. 2025. Current efficacy and management of Bt sweet corn, Central Maryland Vegetable Growers Meeting, Monkton, MD, January 22, 2025. (87 people)

Selected Extension Publications

1. Buntin D. 2025. Insect control for field corn: Georgia Pest Management Handbook 2025, Commercial Edition (Special Bulletin 28: Vol 1: pp.51-60). Univ. of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service Special Bulletin 28.
2. Buntin D, Mailhot D, Arrington J, et al. 2025. Georgia 2025 Corn, Sorghum, and Summer Annual Forages Performance Tests: Georgia 2025 Corn, Sorghum, and Summer Annual Forages Performance Tests (Annual Publication 100-17). https://swvt.uga.edu/content/dam/caes-subsite/statewide-variety-testing/docs/performance-trials/2025/corn-sorghum-report-2025.pdf
3. Calixto ES, Singh H, Paula-Moraes SV. 2025. Management of corn earworm using Bt corn hybrids, 2024. Arthropod Management Tests. 50:1. https://doi.org/10.1093/amt/tsaf083.
4. Camiletti B, Colgrove A, Decker A, et al. 2025. 2024 Applied Research Results Field Crop Disease and Insect Management. Univ. of Illinois Extension. https://extension.illinois.edu/media/6756/download?inline
5. Dean A, Hodgson E, Baute T. 2025. Regional Corn Rootworm Monitoring Network Summary. https://cornrootworm.extension.iastate.edu/files/inline-files/2025%20CRW%20Network%20Summary.pdf
6. DiFonzo C, Porter P. 2025. The Official Handy Bt Trait Table for Field Corn and Sweet Corn. https://www.texasinsects.org/
7. DiFonzo CD, Tilmon K. 2025. MSU-OSU Field Crops Insect Pest Management Guide [includes biology, ecology, scouting and management information on corn, dry beans, forages, small grain, soybean and sugarbeet]. posted at https://www.canr.msu.edu/field_crops/
8. Eric Y, Yang F. 2025. Strategic Farming: Let's talk crops! focused on corn insect pest challenges. MN Crop News, Univ. of Minnesota. https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2025/03/strategic-farming-lets-talk-crops.html  
9. Hodkinson E, Mullen T, Holt‑Frank R, et al. 2025. Lep Monitoring Network – Corn Earworm & Western Bean Cutworm #9. June 23–29, 2025. Corn Newsletter: 19‑2025. The Ohio State Univ.
10. Hodkinson E, Mullen T, Holt‑Frank R, et al. 2025. Lep Monitoring Network – Corn Earworm & Western Bean Cutworm #10. June 30–July 6, 2025. Corn Newsletter: 20‑2025. The Ohio State Univ.
11. Jackson-Ziems T, Broderick K, Peterson J, et al. September 4, 2025. Presence of Corn Leafhoppers Confirmed in Southeast Nebraska. Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension.
12. Knodel J, Beauzay P. 2025. Corn rootworm trapping network. NDSU Crop & Pest Report, nos. 19&20. Sep 25 and Oct 9.
13. Knodel JJ, Beauzay P, Boetel MA, et al. 2025. 2026 North Dakota Field Crop Insect Management Guide E1143 (revised). NDSU Ext., Fargo, ND. https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/north-dakota-field-crop-insect-management-guide
14. Koch K, McMechan J, Peterson J. 2025. Scout Emerging Corn for Insects; Don’t Assume Protection. Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. May 22, 2025.
15. LaCanne C, Koch B, Yang F. 2025. Field Notes: Insect updates and management considerations. MN Crop News, Univ. of Minnesota. https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2025/08/field-notes-insect-updates-and.html
16. Lima APS, Lyons A, Peterson JA. 2025. Performance of in-furrow at-plant insecticides and seed treatments against western corn rootworm, 2020. Arthropod Management Tests. 50. https://doi.org/10.1093/amt/tsaf143.
17. Lyons A, Lima APS, Lloyd R, Peterson JA. 2025. Evaluation of foliar pesticides for the control of spider mites in field corn, 2023. Arthropod Management Tests. 50. https://doi.org/10.1093/amt/tsaf081
18. Lyons A, Lima APS, Lloyd R, Peterson JA. 2025. Performance of selected transgenic traits against western corn rootworm, 2024. Arthropod Management Tests. 50. https://doi.org/10.1093/amt/tsaf109.
19. Lyons A, Rilaković A, da Silva Santana A, et al. 2025. Degree-Days for Predictions of Western Bean Cutworm Flight in 2025. Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. June 25, 2025.
20. McMechan J, Brhel J, Nygren A, et al. 2025. Wheat Stem Maggot: A Cover Crop to Corn Pest. Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. June 12, 2025.
21. McMechan J, Nygren A, Mues T, et al. 2025. “Wheat Stem Maggot in Corn: Field Observations and Follow-Up.” Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. September 12, 2025.
22. Peterson J, Bradshaw J. 2025. Scouting and Treatment Recommendations for Western Bean Cutworm. Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension. July 8, 2025.
23. Peterson JA, Daniel SR, da Luz PMC, et al. 2025. Evaluation of foliar insecticides for the control of western bean cutworm in field corn, 2023). Arthropod Management Tests. 50. https://doi.org/10.1093/amt/tsaf112.
24.  Peterson JA, da Luz PMC, et al. 2025. Evaluation of foliar insecticides for the control of western bean cutworm in field corn, 2024. Arthropod Management Tests. 50. https://doi.org/10.1093/amt/tsaf136.
25. Porter P, Kerns D, Santiago-González J. 2025. Southwestern corn borer in Texas field corn. Ento-PU-239. Texas A&M Univ. Extension. https://agrilifelearn.tamu.edu/s/product/southwestern-corn-borer-in-texas-field-corn/01tQn00000AiaV3IAJ?t=17694819194561.
26. Preza Fontes G, Camiletti BX, Hager A, at al. 2025. Illinois Corn Management 2025. Univ. of Illinois Extension. https://extension.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/2025-03/illinois-corn-management.pdf
27. Raudenbush A, Baumer N, Beers L, et al. 2025. Lep Monitoring Network – Black Cutworm and True Armyworm Update #1. April 21–27, 2025. Corn Newsletter: 11‑2025. The Ohio State Univ.
28. Reisig DD. 2025. Insect control in field corn. 2025 North Carolina Agricultural Chemicals Manual. North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, N.C. State Univ., Raleigh, N.C. pp. 74-77.
29. Reisig DD, Ahumada D. 2025. Corn leafhopper and corn stunt disease: see but don't spray. North Carolina Cooperative Extension Corn portal (corn.ces.ncsu.edu).
30. Reisig DD, Alsdorf A. 2025. Bt corn and refuge: smart planting for long-term success. North Carolina Cooperative Extension Corn portal (corn.ces.ncsu.edu).
31. Reisig D, Goldsworthy E. 2025. Efficacy of seed treatment and in-furrow insecticides for southern corn billbug in corn, 2024. Arthropod Management Tests. https://doi.org/10.1093/amt/tsaf065
32. Reisig D, Goldsworthy E. 2025. At-planting insecticide efficacy for southern corn billbug in corn, 2024. Arthropod Management Tests. https://doi.org/10.1093/amt/tsaf066 
33. Univ. of Nebraska. 2025. Guide for Weed, Disease, and Insect Management in Nebraska. Nebraska Extension Publication EC130. (includes ratings of western bean cutworm insecticide efficacy).
34. Wang Y, Dwyer T, Yang F. 2025. Common Stalk Borer Damage in Bt Corn Fields. MN Crop News, Univ. of Minnesota. https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2025/10/common-stalk-borer-damage-in-bt-corn.html 
35. Wang Y, Malvick D, Floyd C, et al. 2025. Corn leafhopper detected again in Minnesota in 2025. MN Crop News, Univ. of Minnesota. https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2025/10/corn-leafhopper-detected-again-in.html 
36. Wangila DS, Yang F. 2025. Efficacy of insecticides for management of corn earworm in sweet corn in Minnesota, 2024. Arthropod Management Tests. 50: tsaf056.
37. Yang F, Koch B, 2025. Strategic Farming: Let's talk crops! focused on corn insect pest challenges. MN Crop News, Univ. of Minnesota. https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2025/03/strategic-farming-lets-talk-crops.html
38. Yang F, Potter B. 2025. Black Cutworm Trapping Network Report May 16. MN Crop News, Univ. of Minnesota. https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2025/05/black-cutworm-trapping-network-report_21.html 
39. Yang F, Potter B. 2025. 2025 UMN Cooperative Black Cutworm Trapping Network. MN Crop News, Univ. of Minnesota. https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2025/04/2025-umn-cooperative-black-cutworm.html 
40. Yang F, Wang YC. 2025. Northern corn rootworm extended diapause problems in Minnesota in 2025. MN Crop News, Univ. of Minnesota. https://blog-crop-news.extension.umn.edu/2025/07/northern-corn-rootworm-extended.html

Canada Online Knowledge Translation and Transfer of Corn Pests:

1. Canadian Corn Pest Coalition ECB Resistant Subcommittee (2025). Bt Resistant European Corn Borer – Act Now Infographic. Canadian Corn Pest Coalition Website (www.cornpest.ca).
2. 2025 Ontario Corn Rootworm Trap Network 2025 Infographic: https://fieldcropnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2025-CRW-Trap-Network-InfoGraphic-Final-Corrected.pdf
3. Ontario CropIPM: https://cropipm.omafra.gov.on.ca/
4. Ontario Crop Protection Hub: https://cropprotectionhub.omafra.gov.on.ca/
5. Great Lakes and Maritimes Pest Monitoring Network: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/7164d23d488246d198dcf7a07d8c9021
6. Corn Rootworm Adult Monitoring Network: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/400e7eb5339d459ab5f69591a0ea517f
7. Canadian Corn Pest Coalition: https://cornpest.ca/
8. Ontario Field Crop News: https://fieldcropnews.com/

1. Santana A, Lima A, Peterson J. 2025-2026. Nebraska Corn Board. “Bioinsecticides as New, Selective Chemical Tools for Western Bean Cutworm” ($17,695)
2. Powers T, Peterson J, Lai P-C. 2025-2026. Nebraska Corn Board. “Rearing and Testing Native Entomopathogenic Nematodes to Control Corn Rootworm in Nebraska” ($76,132)
3. Proctor C, Burr C, Redfearn D, Stockton M, Parsons J, Burbach M, Peterson J, Jackson-Ziems T, Zarić M, Katimbo A. 2024-2025. Nebraska Corn Board. “Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS).” (Year 2 of 3, $104,752)
4. Peterson J, Powers T, Spencer J. 2025-2026. Corteva Agriscience. “Corteva Innovation Farms: Entomopathogenic Nematodes for Corn Rootworm Management.” ($42,000)

1. Abel CA, Woolfolk SW, Frei UK. 2025. Response of doubled haploid lines derived from maize population BS39 for their response to leaf injury by fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda. Southwest. Entomol. 50(4): 1612-1621. https://doi.org/10.3958/059.050.0428.
2. Alsdorf A, Reisig D, Ferraro G, Malone S, Mott J, Schardong I, Taylor S, Rejesus R. 2025. On-farm large plot comparison of Bt and non-Bt corn hybrids for Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) feeding, yield, and economic return. J. Econ. Entomol. 119(1): 455-465. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaf312.
3. Archibald WR, Stowe HE, Collins R, Daniel S, Wright RJ, Peterson JA. 2025. Identification of potential predators of western bean cutworm (Striacosta albicosta) in field corn through molecular gut-content analysis. Entomol. Exp. Appl. 173(11): 1165−1176. https://doi.org/10.1111/eea.70004.
4. Bachler A, Padovan A, Anderson CJ, Wei Y, Wu Y, Pearce S, Downes S, James B, Tessnow AE, Sword GA, Williams M, Tek Tay W, Gordon KHJ, Walsh TK. 2025. Disruption of HaVipR1 confers Vip3Aa resistance in the moth crop pest Helicoverpa armigera. PLOS Biol. 23(5): e3003165. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.3003165.
5. Boyes D, Lees DC, Coates BS. 2024. The genome sequence of European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner), 1796. Wellcome Open Res. 10:12 https://doi.org/10.12688/wellcomeopenres.23504.1
6. Brown Z, Reisig D. 2025. Assessing market-failures driving pesticide resistance. Science. 387(6737): 930-932. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adv4313.
7. Bryant T, Reay-Jones FPF. 2025. Pest status and management of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in field corn in the southeastern United States. J. Integr. Pest Manag. 16(1): 26. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmaf027.
8. Butoto E, Alsdorf A, Reisig D, Holland J. 2025. Influence of Bt and environmental factors on Fusarium ear rot in maize. Crop Sci. 65(4): e70103. https://doi.org/10.1002/csc2.70103.
9. Calixto ESP, Paula-Moraes SV. 2025. Hydrogen stable isotopes indicate reverse migration of fall armyworm in North America. Insects. 16(5): 471. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16050471.
10. Callohuari YT, Seiter NJ, Gibson JC, Becker TM, Kaufmann S. 2025. The use of 3D models in teaching insect morphology and identification: a case study. J. Integr. Pest Manag. 16(1): 32, pmaf031. https://doi.org/10.1093/jipm/pmaf031.
11. Chan W-P, Daszak I, Buntin GD, Cook D, Crow W, Huang F, Huseth A, Kesheimer K, Ludwick D, Paula-Moraes SV, Reisig DD, Owens ACS. 2025. Historical behavioural data disentangle evolutionary and environmental drivers of recent declines in insect attraction to light. Proc. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 292(2061): 20252319. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2025.2319.
12. Cramer ME, Hamby KA. 2025. Preventative insecticides reduce seedling injury, but do not increase yield in Bt and non-Bt corn grown in the Mid-Atlantic. Pest Manag. Sci. 81(6): 3220-3231. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.8694.
13. Devadhasan S, Paulin G, Lillythangam JJ, Pillai AM, Shanmughavel S, Hepziba JS, Raj ST, Rajan EBR, Saliha BB, Pately P, Abel CA, Elango D. 2025. Unveiling the role of long non-coding RNAs in plant immune responses to bacterial, fungal, and viral diseases. Plant Physiol. Rep. 30: 705-720. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40502-025-00895-8.
14. Fisher KE, Coates B, Dopman EB, Rowland D, Abel CA, Smith JL, Dively G. 2025. Evidence of field-evolved resistance in Ostrinia nubilalis to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab and Cry1A.105 + Cry2Ab2 sweet corn in Connecticut, USA. J. Econ. Entomol. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaf346.
15. Glasgow E, Farhan Y, Hallett RH, Smith JL. 2026. Inheritance and fitness of field-evolved Cry1Fa-resistant Ostrinia nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) under laboratory conditions. J. Econ. Entomol. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toag003.
16. Gomez Villegas A, Stowe H, Lyons A, Dailey R, Peterson JA, Smart A. 2025. Community composition and abundance of wild bees at row crop-grassland interfaces in west central Nebraska. Environ. Entomol. 54(3): 632−643. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvaf040.
17. Heu CC, Schutze IX, LeRoy DM, Wang YH, DeGain BA, Kerns DD, Abdelgaffar H, Jurat-Fuentes JL, Matzkin LM, Carrière Y, Tabashnik BE, Fabrick JA. 2025. Knockout of chitin synthase gene confers resistance to Bt toxin Vip3Aa in Helicoverpa zea. Pest Manag. Sci. 82(1): 911-919. https://doi.org/10.1002/ps.70248.  
18. Huang F, Yu W,  Head G, Niu Y, Sakuno C, Lin S, Silva T, Patla B. 2025. Inheritance of Cry2Ab2 resistance in two Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) populations resistant to single- and dual-Bacillus thuringiensis proteins. J. Invert. Pathol. 208: 108237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2024.108237  
19. Kim K-S, Coats BS, Nason JD, Caprio MA, Spencer JL, Friedenberg NA, Sappington TW. 2025. Genetic evidence of bimodal dispersal distances among adult western corn rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Environ. Entomol. 54(4): 89–1005. https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvaf046
20. Kwadha CA, Saveer AM, Wada-Katsumata A, Reisig DD, Hughes GP, Cardé RT, Schal C. 2025. Visual cues enhance effectiveness of pheromone-baited traps for corn earworm moths, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). J. Econ. Entomol. 118: 662-671. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toaf024
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