Value of Neonicotinoid Insecticide Seed Treatments in Mid-South Corn (Zea mays L.) Production Systems

Neonicotinoids are under worldwide public scrutiny for their potential link to decline of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) populations and other pollinators.  Neonicotinoid seed treatments are one of several effective control options used in corn (Zea mays L.) production in the Mid-South.  A meta-analysis was performed on 91 neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatment trials from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee to determine the value of neonicotinoid seed treatments in corn production systems across the Mid-South region of the United States.  The analysis compared neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments with a fungicide to a fungicide treatment alone.  When analyzed by state, corn yields were significantly higher when neonicotinoid seed treatments were used compared to fungicide only treatments.  Corn treated with neonicotinoid treatments yielded 111.1 kg ha^-1 (1.7 bu acre^-1), 1,093.2 kg ha^-1 (17.4 bu acre^-1), 401.0 kg ha^-1 (6.3 bu acre^-1), and 91 kg ha^-1 (1.4 bu acre^-1), higher than fungicide only treatments for Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, respectively.  Across all states, neonicotinoid seed treatments yielded 743.6 kg ha^-1 (11.8 bu acre^-1) compared to fungicide only treated corn seed.  Net returns from neonicotinoid seed treatments were $1,458 per ha^-1 compared to $1,390 per ha^-1 for fungicide only treated corn across the Mid-South.