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Biology, Impact, and Management of Soybean Insect Pests in Soybean Production Systems
K.V. Yeargan
Department of Entomology
Non-Technical Summary
The ability to predict SBA outbreaks reduces risk to growers, allowing decisions to be made in advance of the field season. Such decisions include variety, insecticide and equipment purchases, and crop insurance protection, not only for soybean growers, but also for vegetable growers impacted by aphid-transmitted viruses. Risk reduction allows growers to better allocate resources and in the end to save money.
Success in classical biological control will reduce populations of, and yield loss from, SBA. A partial success could save producers tens of millions of dollars in control costs alone, with societal benefits of reduced human exposure, reduced non-target impacts from pesticide use, and slower formation of insecticide resistance. A better understanding of North American natural enemies and their conservation will have similar impacts as a partial success in importation biological control.
2010 Project Description
The composition of the stink bug fauna on soybeans in central and southern Kentucky was determined by sampling soybean fields in several counties. Sampling protocol for a given soybean field consisted taking 1000 sweeps or collecting 100 adult stink bugs (whichever occurred first). Overall, 85.2% of the stink bugs collected were the green stink bug (Acrosternum hilare), 12.7% were brown stink bugs (Euschistus species - servus, variolarius, and tristigmus), and 2.1% were other species (Brochymena, Podisus, Stiretrus, and Thyanta species). No exotic species were found during this study.
2010 Impact
This study was done because three different species of exotic stink bugs were present in nearby states and we wanted to document the status of the native stink bug fauna on Kentucky soybeans prior to these likely invasions. In fact, one of those three exotic species (the brown marmorated stink bug) was first detected in Kentucky in late September 2010. Although this detection occurred at the end of the 2010 growing season, this exotic stink bug is likely to be present in Kentucky soybean fields in 2011.