Corn producers battle a variety of soil dwelling insect pests. Seedcorn maggots, wireworms, white grubs and several species of cutworms can attack either the seed or seedling plants and reduce the plant stand. Corn rootworm larvae feed on corn roots during midsummer and can significantly reduce the uptake of moisture and nutrients. Extensive feeding by corn rootworm larvae can reduce the roots ...

Monoxenic cultures of Heterodera zeae, the corn cyst nematode (CCN), were established on root explants of corn Zea mays L., cv. Kenworthy. The life cycle of H. zeae was determined from light anti scanning electron microscopic observations of the root explants grown in the dark at 29.5 +/- .5 C under gnotobiotic conditions. The life cycle, from the time the explants were inoculated with second-s...

A 2-yr field experiment was conducted to determine the effects on Diabrotica spp. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of an insecticidal seed treatment (Poncho 1250, (AI)/clothianidin) and a granular insecticide (Aztec 2.1G, (AI)/tebupirimphos and cyfluthrin) alone and in combination with maize producing the insectidical toxin Cry3Bb1 derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Yields for B...

Calcium is an important factor in the ability of plants to resist salt stress, possibly because of its role in maintaining membrane integrity. We studied the effects of NaCl stress on membrane-associated Ca in corn root protoplasts (Zea mays L. cv Pioneer 3377) using the fluorescent Ca probe chlorotetracycline (CTC). Protoplasts were isolated from the cortex of primary roots of corn seedlings (...

A field trial was conducted for 2 years in an Arredondo fine sand containing a tillage pan at 15-20 cm deep to determine the influence of subsoiling on the distribution of corn roots and plant-parasitic nematodes. Soil samples were taken at various depths and row positions at 30, 60, and 90 days after planting in field corn subsoiled under the row with two chisels and in non-subsoiled corn. At ...

Inoculation of corn (Zea mays) seeds with Azospirillum brasilense strain Cd or Sp 7 significantly enhanced (30 to 50% over controls) the uptake of NO(3), K, and H(2)PO(4) into 3- to 4-day- and 2-week-old root segments. No gross changes in root morphology were observed; altered cell arrangement in the outer four or five layers of the cortex was seen in photomicrographs of cross sections of inocu...

Salinity level may affect early development of biofuel feedstock crops. The biofuel feedstock crops canola (Brassica napus L.), sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench], and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.); and the potential feedstock crop sweet corn (Zea mays L.) were planted in media in pots and treated with aqueous solutions of 0, 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 M NaCl once at: 1) planting; 2) 7-10 days afte...

The efficacy of fallow and coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) as a rotation crop for control of root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita race 1) and soilborne fungi in okra (Hibiscus esculentus cv. Emerald), squash (Cucurbita pepo cv. Dixie Hybrid), and sweet corn (Zea mays cv. Merit) was evaluated in a 3-year field trial. Numbers of M. incognita in the soil and root-gall indices were gre...