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 1/26/2024

Field Performance of Vorceed™ Enlist® Corn Rootworm Traits

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Overhead canopy - cornfield - corn plants

Agronomy Research Update
Written by Jim Bing, Tim Nowatzki, Tim Mabry, Jeff Klever, and Mark Jeschke, Ph.D., Pioneer Agronomy Manager

Key Findings

  • The corn rootworm traits in Qrome® corn and Vorceed™ Enlist® corn both provided effective control of corn rootworm larval feeding.
  • The Vorceed Enlist traits provided a significant advantage at locations with a history of continuous corn production.
  • All corn rootworm trait products provided a significant improvement in yield compared to the negative control under corn rootworm pressure.

Related Articles

A New Corn Rootworm Management Tool

  • Western and northern corn rootworms have a history of adapting to and overcoming control practices, which has increased the complexity and difficulty of successfully managing these pests.
  • Field-evolved resistance in western corn rootworm has now been documented for all four Bt traits for corn rootworm protection currently on the market.
  • Ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) technology has been commercialized to provide an additional unique mode of action for protection against corn rootworm and is available in Corteva Agriscience seed brands in Vorceed™ Enlist® corn.

    Corn rootworm protection modes of action in Qrome corn and Vorceed Enlist corn

    Figure 1. Corn rootworm protection modes of action in Qrome corn (dual-mode Bt) and Vorceed Enlist corn (Dual-mode Bt + RNAi). Click here or on the image above for a larger view.

Study Description

  • Field experiments were conducted in 2020, 2021, and 2022 to evaluate efficacy of the corn rootworm traits in Qrome corn and Vorceed Enlist corn for reducing root feeding and protecting corn yield.
  • The field experiments were conducted at locations with a history of continuous corn production or locations where a trap crop was used to boost corn rootworm pressure.
  • A total of four different hybrid families were used across the research locations, representing 108 and 113 CRM groups.
  • Four different combinations of corn rootworm traits and insecticide seed treatments were compared in the study (Table 1). The experiments used the major components of Qrome corn and Vorceed Enlist corn without the integrated refuge component.

Table 1. Corn rootworm treatments compared in 2022 adult emergence experiments.

Treatment Description CRW Traits
 Insecticide Seed
Treatment Rate
(clothianidin)
Unprotected Check none

250 IST

CRW Traits in Qrome
+ 1250 rate IST

Cry34/35Ab1

MCry3A

1250 IST

CRW traits in
Vorceed Enlist

Cry34/35Ab1

Cry3Bb1

DvSnf7

250 IST

Video: Managing In-Season CRW Populations

Results

  • All three corn rootworm protection treatments were effective at keeping corn rootworm feeding below a corn rootworm node injury score (CRWNIS) of 0.5 (Figure 2).
  • The two treatments with the Vorceed Enlist corn rootworm traits (dual-mode Bt + RNAi) had significantly lower CRWNIS than the Qrome corn rootworm traits (dual-mode Bt).

    Corn rootworm node injury scores across 23 moderate and high-pressure locations

    Figure 2. Corn rootworm node injury scores across 23 moderate and high-pressure locations. Bars with the same letter are not significantly different at α = 0.05.

  • Among a subset of moderate and high corn rootworm pressure locations with a history of continuous corn rootworm trait use, all corn rootworm treatments significantly reduced feeding compared to the unprotected check, but CRWNIS scores were slightly higher (Figure 3).
  • The two treatments with the Vorceed™ Enlist® corn rootworm traits had CRWNIS under 0.50, but the CRWNIS for the Qrome® corn rootworm traits slightly exceeded this threshold. 

CRW node injury scores across 12 locations with a history of continuous CRW trait use

Figure 3. Corn rootworm node injury scores across 12 locations with a history of continuous corn rootworm trait use. Bars with the same letter are not significantly different at α = 0.05.

CRW damage to corn plant roots

Figure 4. The corn rootworm node injury score (CRWNIS) rating system ranges from 0 to 3 based on the number of roots pruned by corn rootworm feeding to within 1.5 inches of the crown. A maximum score of 3.0 corresponds to 3 full nodes of roots pruned.

  • All three corn rootworm protection treatments provided significant improvement to yield compared to the unprotected check under moderate to high corn rootworm pressure (Figure 5).
  • The two treatments with the Vorceed Enlist corn rootworm traits had significantly higher yield than the Qrome corn rootworm traits.
  • The addition of a 1250 rate insecticide seed treatment to the Vorceed Enlist corn rootworm traits provided slight numerical advantages in CRWNIS and yield, but none were statistically significant.

Corn yield across 22 moderate and high-pressure locations

Figure 5. Corn yield across 22 moderate and high-pressure locations. Bars with the same letter are not significantly different at α = 0.05.


   Vorceed Enlist   LibertyLInk  AgrisureRW

Agrisure® is a registered trademark of, and used under license from, a Syngenta Group Company. Agrisure® technology incorporated into these seeds is commercialized under a license from Syngenta Crop Protection AG. Roundup Ready® is a registered trademark used under license from Monsanto Company. Liberty®, LibertyLink® and the Water Droplet Design are trademarks of BASF.

The foregoing is provided for informational use only. Please contact your Pioneer sales professional for information and suggestions specific to your operation. 2020-2022 data are based on average of all comparisons made in 23 locations through Dec 1, 2022. Multi-year and multi-location is a better predictor of future performance. Do not use these or any other data from a limited number of trials as a significant factor in product selection. Product responses are variable and subject to a variety of environmental, disease, and pest pressures. Individual results may vary.