Wheat larvae feeding on seeds right down the drill row are which insects?

Wheat larvae feeding on seeds right down the drill row are which insects?

• A. Army Cutworms
• B. Army Worms
• C. Wheat Stem Maggots
• D. False Wireworms

Answer: (D)

Seed-stage pests that feed directly on planted seeds in the drill row are described here. The larvae that stay in the seed zone and chew on the seed as it germinates cause germination failures and patchy stands right along the row. This feeding pattern matches false wireworms, which attack seeds in the drill row itself. In contrast, army cutworms and armyworms tend to eat above-ground tissue—foliage and young seedlings after they emerge—rather than consuming the seed at planting. Wheat stem maggots target the stems later in development, boring inside the stem rather than feeding on seeds in the drill row. So the behavior described—seed feeding right down the drill row—is characteristic of false wireworms.

Seed-stage pests that feed directly on planted seeds in the drill row are described here. The larvae that stay in the seed zone and chew on the seed as it germinates cause germination failures and patchy stands right along the row. This feeding pattern matches false wireworms, which attack seeds in the drill row itself.

In contrast, army cutworms and armyworms tend to eat above-ground tissue—foliage and young seedlings after they emerge—rather than consuming the seed at planting. Wheat stem maggots target the stems later in development, boring inside the stem rather than feeding on seeds in the drill row. So the behavior described—seed feeding right down the drill row—is characteristic of false wireworms.