It is projected that, in 2024, corn diseases and pests nationwide will generally occur at a relatively severe level.

According to forecasts and analyses by the National Agricultural Technology Extension Center, corn diseases and pests nationwide are expected to occur at a relatively severe level in 2024, affecting an area of 980 million mu‑times. Specifically, fall armyworm is likely to be severely prevalent in the Southwest, South China, and the Huanghuai region on late‑sown summer corn; corn borer, cotton bollworm, peach fruit borer, and beet armyworm will occur in mixed infestations during the ear‑filling stage in the Huanghuai and North China regions; the two‑spotted leaf beetle is expected to be locally severe in North China, Northeast China, and Northwest China; and southern corn rust is showing a clear trend of recurrence in the Huanghuai–Hai region. To ensure effective technical guidance for the prevention and control of major corn diseases and pests in 2024, this plan has been formulated.

I. Prevention and Control Objectives

Key pest and disease management will focus on fall armyworm, corn borer, cutworms, cotton bollworm, beet armyworm, and the two-spotted long-legged leaf beetle, as well as southern rust, northern corn leaf blight, and small spot disease. The treatment rate for major pests and diseases will exceed 90%, green pest control coverage will reach at least 55%, and losses due to pest and disease damage will be kept below 5%.

II. Prevention and control strategy

Adhere to the principle of prevention first and joint prevention and control. Employ a comprehensive suite of measures, including resistant varieties, ecological regulation, physicochemical trapping and monitoring, biological control, and judicious use of pesticides, to implement region-specific integrated green pest management strategies. Strengthen integrated management of mid- and late-season diseases and pests, boost yields across large areas, and ensure the safety of maize production.

III. Target Groups for Prevention and Control

　　(1) Northern Spring Corn Region: Key pests and diseases to be controlled include the armyworm, corn borer, cotton bollworm, two-spotted leaf beetle, aphids, underground pests, northern leaf blight, stalk rot, gray leaf spot, northern anthracnose, and root rot.

　　(2) The Huanghuaihai Summer Corn Region. Key pests and diseases to be controlled include the corn borer, cotton bollworm, armyworm, peach fruit borer, beet armyworm, fall armyworm, two-spotted armyworm, aphids, thrips, southern rust, small spot disease, brown spot disease, Curvularia leaf spot, stalk rot, and ear rot.

　　(3) Corn-growing regions in the Southwest and Southern Hills. Key pests and diseases to be controlled include fall armyworm, corn borer, peach fruit borer, cutworms, aphids, sheath blight, northern leaf blight, gray leaf spot, southern rust, leaf spot, and ear rot.

　　(4) Northwest Corn Region: Focus on controlling underground pests, aphids, spider mites, cotton bollworms, corn borers, the two-spotted long-legged leaf beetle, stalk rot, northern corn leaf blight, and rust.

IV. Prevention and Control Measures

　　(1) Seed- and soil-borne diseases such as root rot, smut, sheath blight, and stem rot. Select disease-resistant or tolerant varieties, and apply seed treatments containing active ingredients like cyantraniliprole + fludioxonil, difenoconazole, pyraclostrobin, fluxapyroxad, thifluzamide, or tebuconazole. After heavy rainfall, promptly drain standing water from the field to reduce the severity of sheath blight and stem rot. At the early stage of sheath blight (when corn reaches the jointing stage), spray with fungicides such as jinggangmycin A; depending on the disease incidence, repeat the application every 7–10 days.

　　(2) Underground pests such as grubs, cutworms, and wireworms, as well as foliar pests like thrips, beet armyworm, and cotton leafworm. Prior to planting, eliminate or clear crop residues, and remove mulch from the corn planting furrows to control the beet armyworm. For managing underground pests, select seed treatments formulated with neonicotinoid insecticides—such as clothianidin or thiamethoxam—combined with chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, or carbofuran; these formulations also provide control of the cotton leafworm, leaf beetles, aphids, and thrips. For biological control, apply granular formulations of Metarhizium anisopliae or Beauveria bassiana in the seed‑fertilizer furrow.

　　(3) Diseases such as southern corn rust, northern leaf blight, small spot, brown spot, Curvularia leaf spot, white leaf spot, and northern anthracnose. Select disease‑resistant or tolerant varieties, practice appropriate planting density, apply fertilizers scientifically, and adopt sound cultivation practices. At the early stage of disease onset, spray with fungicides including Bacillus subtilis, Jinggangmycin A, difenoconazole, flutriafol, pyraclostrobin, propiconazole–azoxystrobin, oxycarboxin–tebuconazole, and azoxystrobin–flutriafol; depending on the severity, repeat application every 7–10 days.

　　(4) Pests such as the fall armyworm, corn borer, beet armyworm, cotton bollworm, and peach fruit borer. Implement straw crushing and return to the field to reduce the initial pest population; during the adult emergence period, use light traps, food attractants, and sex pheromone lures for mass trapping; in the early egg‑laying stage, release natural enemies like Trichogramma species or Telenomus remus to control eggs; at the early larval stages, prioritize biopesticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis, Beauveria bassiana, nuclear polyhedrosis virus, Metarhizium anisopliae, neem oil, and Spodoptera exigua nucleopolyhedrovirus; for chemical control, consider insecticides including chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole, emamectin benzoate, spinosad, and tetrachlorantraniliprole, and seize the window of opportunity during the early instars to implement coordinated, integrated pest management and joint prevention and control. In regions where biotechnologically bred varieties have been approved for cultivation, select insect‑resistant transgenic maize varieties approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs to manage lepidopteran pests such as the fall armyworm, corn borer, and beet armyworm.

V. Integrated Control Technologies

　　(1) Straw management and deep tillage for stubble control. Implement measures such as comprehensive straw utilization, shredding and returning to the field, deep soil tillage, and pre-sowing stubble destruction. In areas with severe pest and disease outbreaks, remove straw from the field to reduce the initial population of pathogens and pests.

　　(2) Select resistant varieties. Based on the types of corn diseases and pests prevalent in the local area, prioritize the use of disease‑resistant or tolerant varieties to control stalk rot and late‑season leaf spot diseases; in regions where biotechnologically bred varieties have been approved for cultivation, give priority to genetically modified insect‑resistant varieties that have been officially approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

　　(3) Seed treatment technologies. Based on the types and occurrence patterns of underground pests, seed-borne and soil-borne diseases, and seedling-stage pests and diseases in different regions, select appropriate seed treatment agents.

　　(4) Mid-to-late-stage “one‑spray, multiple‑promotions” technology. From the late heart‑leaf stage to the early grain‑filling stage, based on the incidence of leaf spot disease, ear rot, corn borer, peach fruit borer, armyworm, cotton bollworm, aphids, and the two‑spotted long‑legged leaf beetle, appropriately mix insecticides, fungicides, foliar fertilizers, and plant growth regulators. It is advisable to use high‑stalk crop boom sprayers or aerial application to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of pest and disease management.

　　(5) Adult‑insect trapping and killing techniques. During the emergence periods of highly phototactic pests such as Lepidoptera and Coleoptera, insecticidal lamps can be used for mass trapping; for pests like the fall armyworm, corn borer, cotton bollworm, and armyworm, sex pheromone traps may be employed in combination with other methods; and for noctuid pests such as armyworms and cotton bollworms, food‑based attractants can be used alongside trapping.

　　(6) Biological control using egg‑parasitizing wasps. During the peak emergence of adult corn borer, cotton bollworm, peach fruit borer, and fall armyworm, select locally dominant parasitoid species and release 15,000–20,000 individuals per mu. Establish 2–5 release points per mu and conduct a two‑stage release, spaced seven days apart.

VI. Precautions

　　(1) Food‑baiting, sex‑pheromone trapping, and light‑trap techniques should be implemented on a large, contiguous scale. When using light traps for pest control, apply them during the peak emergence period of adult pests and during their nocturnal activity phases.

　　(2) Emphasize the alternating, rotational, and safe use of pesticides with different modes of action.

　　(3) When cultivating genetically modified insect-resistant maize varieties, attention should be paid to the management and control of non-target pests.

Source: National Agricultural Technology Center