Western corn rootworm: Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) resistance to Bt maize and crop rotation: management ciiallenges and opportunities

摘要

The western corn rootwoorm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, is one of the world’s most significant insect pests of maize affecting the profitabiUty of farmers in Europe and the United States (Gray et al.2009}. In 1964, the western corn rootworm entered Illinois as it migrated eastward across the United States Corn Belt. In 1992, this destructive insect was discovered in Europe within a maize field near the Belgrade Airport, Serbia (Baca 1993]. Entomologists have speculated that western cornrootworms likely arrived in Serbia in the mid-1980s. The distribution of western corn rootworms across Europe now includes more than 20 countries (Kiss et al. 2005]. Initially, within the United States, rotation of maize with soybean was effective in reducing the economic threat of this pest. Currently, this cultural strategy (crop rotation) still provides control of western cornm rootworms in the western Corn Belt [e.g., Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota] and throughout infested countries of Europe.