Foreign material present in a grain sample will also enhance mold growth in storage. Spores from fungi on infected grain readily disperse during handling and contaminate unaffected grain. On a daily basis, remove corn and debris remaining in combines, trucks, carts, pits, augers, bins, and elevators. Insects and rodents are other potential contamination sources. Corn Borer Harvest Loss - The high numbers of corn borers present in the Mississippi Delta will probably increase field loss at harvest by increasing stalk lodging and ear dropping.
Corn borers reduce yield and stalk integrity by tunneling within stalks.
Second generation infestations of both Southwestern and European corn borers have caused considerable damage in many fields. Some plants have three or four tunnels per stalk. This will obviously weaken the stalks' ability to withstand storms without lodging or breaking, especially after physiological maturity. Some corn borers also tunnel in the ear shank, which holds the ear on the stalk. This could cause considerable ear dropping.