Q: How do you deal with wireworms that are affecting seedlings?
A: Sulfur, molybdenum, magnesium and boron are specifically needed to address larval insects like wireworm.
Sulfur, molybdenum and magnesium are directly involved in the protein synthesis process. Sulfur is required for the sulfur-bearing amino acids, molybdenum for the nitrate reductase enzyme cofactor, and magnesium for its role in protein synthesis and as an enzyme cofactor as well. Boron is not directly involved in protein synthesis, but when you have high enough levels in a crop — as a nutrient, not as an insecticide — insect pressure drops to next to nothing.
There are a number of insect pests, including wireworms, that present a threat right after the seed germinates or soon after the seedling emerges. In these situations, you can’t put on a foliar application because there’s nothing of substance to foliar feed. To create insect resistance at this early stage, you have to have those four nutrients in the seed.
You can apply these nutrients via a seed treatment, but the absolute best way is to have those nutrients in the seed via the parent plant.
From John Kempf’s Eco-Ag U session at the 2023 Acres U.S.A. conference.
