Asiatic Garden Beetle Grub Sampling Methods Paper Published in Crop Protection

Tilmon Lab research on the 'Active and passive sampling methods for grubs of the Asiatic garden beetle, Maladera formosae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in a corn-soybean rotation' was recently accepted and published in the journal, Crop Protection. This research was led by former Tilmon Lab Ph.D student, Dr. Adrian Pekarcik and included co-authors Amy Raudenbush, Eric Richer and Kelley Tilmon. The article focuses on AGB grub sampling in corn fields in northwest Ohio. The paper evaluates multiple sampling methods that growers/researchers could use to monitor for AGB grubs. Some sampling strategies that were evaluated included taking soil samples using either a golf hole cup cutter or a compact cutter the use of bait stations to attract grubs. Overall, the results indicated that the golf hole cup cutter was more sensitive to various grub densities that are typically encountered in the field, while also being more convient than bait stations as they require less trips to the field and less supplies. To read the full article click here.