Soybean aphids are picking up activity throughout Iowa; however, populations are still very patchy. Also consider other defoliators in soybean right now that might compound stress during pod set.
Hot weather isn't favorable for soybean aphid, so numbers are still down. But spider mites and other pests thrive in these conditions.
Soybean aphid populations remain low but first generation bean leaf beetles are out i some areas this week. Spider mites are still the primary problem, and we encourage scouting to protect yield.
Most of the state is approaching the seed fill stage (R5), indicating the end of profitable yield returns with an insecticide application. Watch a short video about spider mite management here: http://bit.ly/NdDj6c
The 2013 season of podcasts begins with a short recap of pest activity in Iowa.
This week, Erin Hodgson talks about confirming soybean aphid in Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Matt and Erin kick off the 2015 growing season with a summary of soybean planting progress in Iowa and predictions for soybean aphids this year. Also, they talk about recent publications on soybean seed treatments.
Matt and Erin recap a presentation made at ICM Conference this week. Bob Koch (University of Minnesota) talked about bifenthrin failures to soybean aphid in southern Minnesota in 2015. He performed bioassays and detected resistance. The level of resistance was low, but provides the first example of this pest overcoming a pyrethroid in the field. Bob's ICM proceedings article summarizes highlights how resistance happens and strategies for prolonging insecticide efficacy. Find the proceedings free here: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ (search for publication AEP 0302 - 2015, pages 75-76).
In this episode, Matt and Erin talk about the recent news of Dow AgroSciences and Dupont merging and possibly becoming three companies. Also, Erin talks about Crop Advantage Series, a reoccurring event for the ISU Crops Team. You can find more information, including dates, locations, speakers and more here: http://www.aep.iastate.edu/cas/.
Matt and Erin have a special guest on this podcast to help understand life cycle assessments. Dr. Kurt Rosentrater is an engineer and associate professor at Iowa State. Kurt explained the basics of conducting a life cycle assessment, including assumptions and resulting complications that come with this tool. They focused on a recent example looking at environmental impacts in four major crops. Here is the link to the paper so you can follow along with figures: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iop/erl/2015/00000010/00000009/art094016. The assessment showed freshwater ecotoxicity impact in soybean increased 3-fold from 2002 to 2012. The authors claimed the insecticides used to control soybean aphid was an important factor. Corn, cotton and wheat did not have a significant increase of impact over the study duration. Learn more about Kurt's research and teaching program here: http://www.abe.iastate.edu/kurt-a-rosentrater-assistant-professor/.
