the presence of european corn borers on corn crops and the damage caused by them increases the likelihood of stalk rot caused by the pathogen "fusarium graminearum". the tunneling done by european corn borers makes it easier for "f. graminearum" to infect corn stalks and increases the amount of necrotic stalk tissue. the presence of "f. graminearum" in corn infested by european corn borers also speeds the development of larva.