Study led by Schattman determines expansion of corn crop pest in New England a possibility
While New England is well known for commodities such as maple syrup, wild blueberries and cranberries, its reputation for sweets extends to another crop: sweet corn. The 2023-24 crop production report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed the region produced just under 3 million tons of corn, of which Vermont contributed approximately half and Maine 500,000 tons.
Corn growers in New England could face a new challenge in the coming years. A study from the University of Maine projected that a corn crop pest that is already present in the region may begin to have a more noticeable effect on crops as temperatures warm and winters become more mild.
The corn flea beetle is a common pest in the Corn Belt — the north-central Midwest region expanding through Ohio, Nebraska and Kansas — that damages plant foliage and carries a bacteria that causes Stewart’s Wilt, a disease that impacts crop health and productivity.
Rachel Schattman, assistant professor of sustainable agriculture at UMaine and Mitchell Center faculty fellow, led the study. Schattman and Scott Merrill, a systems ecologist at the University of Vermont, conducted their research by combining temperature forecasts with two existing agricultural models to show how changing climate could impact corn flea beetle infestations.