Growers may spray fungicides as many as eight times a year to control fungal leaf blights. Recently IPM-funded researchers have developed thresholds for disease incidence that could allow growers to cut fungicide applications by 50 or more. An IPM-sponsored monitoring network uses pheromone traps to alert sweet corn growers, crop consultants, and processing field staff that insect pests are on the move. This past year, the network provided data interpretations and threshold recommendations that helped 400 growers and consultants manage well over 35,000 acres of sweet corn. Lately, insecticides haven't always provided good control.
Biological control offers good prospects.
IPM-funded researchers are assessing the aphid's natural enemies. They have found that corn varieties resistant to European corn borer also seem to possess resistance to corn leaf aphids.