Baiting to protect maize against wireworms

Abstract

Wireworms cause considerable damage to a wide range of crops, including maize which is susceptible to attack from emergence to the 10 to 12 leaf stages. One control strategy involves limiting the exposure of young maize were performed with granulated cereal-based baits. Then, this work was subsequently pursued and intensified with experiments based on the use of trap plants. These experimental works provided a description of the implementation conditions, e.g. choice of trap plant species, density, and positioning relative to maize seedlings—in which these trap plants can be used for the protection of maize crops against wireworm attacks. The technique that gave the more promising results in our experiments was based on the use of a mixture of wheat and maize as bait plants. Thus, the protection of maize against wireworm attacks has an efficacy of 55 to 60%, close to the level of protection of the chemical products currently available in Europe. This easy-to-use and effective strategy could help farmers reduce the use of insecticides in the future. Our work also allows us to identify the current benefits and weaknesses of this strategy and to propose research directions to optimise its effectiveness and facilitate its implementation by farmers.