Eric Clifton will be presenting his Ph. D. defense as part of the Department of Entomology's spring semester seminar series.
Abstract. Soybean cyst nematode and soybean aphid are invasive and economically important pests that share soybean as a host plant. Management of both pests relies primarily on pesticides and germplasm with genetic resistance. A three-year field study and greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the effects of host plant resistance and seed treatments on pest populations and soybean yield. Another experiment explored whether the inoculation of soybeans with fungi could induce systemic plant defenses to suppress aphids. We found host plant resistance to be effective for pest management, but seed treatments were inconsistent.
The ENT seminar series is coordinated by Greg Courtney (gwcourt@iastate.edu) and Rick Hellmich (richard.hellmich@ars.usda.gov). Please feel free to contact them with questions.