Ostrinia furnacalis

Contributor: CABI
Date Compiled: 2024
Creative Commons "Attribution-Share Alike"
Image copyright: Stefan Toepfer

Prevention

Solution Production stage (if possible with reference to BBCH scale)
Remove or shred maize stubbles after harvest or plough deeply (50 cm) to kill overwintering caterpillars and pupae. If no major pests or diseases were in your field leave residues and do not plough deeply to improve soil and prevent moisture loss
Pre-season
Rotate with non-cereal crops, such as potato, soybean. This only works on large areas, as moths can fly.
Heavily irrigate for few days before planting to reduce caterpillar and pupae

Solution Production stage (if possible with reference to BBCH scale)
Use tolerant varieties of maize, such as Huafeng 986, Zhengdan 958, Zhangyu 9, Xundan 18
Sowing

Monitoring

Solution
Inspect vegetative maize weekly until tasseling.
On vegetative maize, look for holes on funnel leaves. If you open leaves, the holes appear in lines.
If you find holes in stems, dead leaf funnel hearts or frass on stems or cobs near caterpillar entry holes, then open stem or cob to confirm the caterpillar. It is pink-brown, soft and 1 to 3 cm long with dark head. Control action in this season is too late. but plan preventive measures for next season
Hang 2 sex pheromone lure core traps per field from May to July; change lure once per month. Count moths every week. If peak is reached consider green control against eggs
Look for flat egg masses (clusters) on underside of basal portion of leaves weekly from vegetative to cob stage. If egg cluster on many plants consider Trichogramma was releases.

Control

Solution
Use high pressure mercury lamps to attract and kill the moths from beginning of June.

Solution Product Category Application Details and Notes (commercial product example)
Trichogramma 
Parasitoid
Release egg parasitoids (different Trichogramma products) first time early July at moth peak flight. After a week, release again. Put the wasp egg cards on the leaves of the upper part of the maize (15000 wasps per acre).
Beauveria bassiana
Microbiological insecticide
Spray the Beauveria bassiana fungi spore suspension over residues after harvest to kill overwintering caterpillars.
Bacillus thuringiensis

Regulations surrounding chemical products can change rapidly – always verify chemicals recommended here with the most recent legislation and lists of products registered for your country
Solution Product Category Chemical Group IRAC Code
Deltamethrin 
Chemical insecticide
Pyrethroids and pyrethrins
3A
Lambda-cyhalothrin
Chemical insecticide
Pyrethroids and pyrethrins
3A
The information made available here has been obtained from or is based upon sources believed by CABI to be reliable but is not guaranteed as to accuracy or completeness. Anyone acting or relying on such information does so entirely at their own risk. The efficacy of the IPM methods included above will depend on local conditions and might not always be suitable everywhere within the specified country.