Welcome to the Iowa State University Soybean Entomology Website. Drs. Matt O'Neal and Erin Hodgson jointly manage this lab to learn more about insect ecology, biology and integrated pest management.
Today, Erin is without her podcasting bestie, Matt. She summarizes the activity of a few field crop pests in Iowa. First, she mentions Japanese beetle is active in soybean now and will move to corn with the emergence of silks. There are also European corn borer egg masses and small larvae in non-Bt corn now. You can access a free publication to learn more about scouting and management of ECB. Erin also gives an update on thistle caterpillar and soybean aphid from the last episode - both pests are still active right now. Finally, she highlights potato leafhopper as an occasional pest of soybean and alfalfa. You can register for some upcoming demonstration events at FEEL for July 12 (Diagnostic Clinic) and July 13 (Management Clinic).
In Episode 2, Matt and Erin cover a range of topics. First, they summarize planting conditions for 2017 - most places in the state are too wet and and cold to plant. The weather also affects insect activity as well. Matt expands on a recent ICM News article by Erin regarding "green bridges." Both had students graduating this semester - congrats to Eric Clifton and Shelby Pritchard on all your hard work and efforts during your time at Iowa State! Finally, Matt updates us on the recent legislative activity to close the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
In this episode, Matt and Erin talk about managing twospotted spider mites in soybean. Considering other pests is important, given the non-target effects with an application. This is particularly true if soybean aphid is in the field because of recent reports of pyrethroid resistance. They discuss options, including using miticides to suppress mite populations. Implications of pest ecology and economics plays a part in managing soybean pests.
Twospotted spider mites. Photo by Frank Peairs; www.ipmimages.org.
Matt and Erin wrap up a few loose ends before the holiday week. First, Matt shares DowAgroSciences sulfoxaflor insecticide got a renewed registration. This insecticide targets fluid-feeding insects and was an option for soybean aphid before it was canceled in 2015. Now, sulfoxaflor can be used in a number of crops, but not for corn or soybean; cotton and sorghum have emergency labels in some U.S. states. Over the weekend, a soybean aphid Biotype-2 colony died due to a bad compressor in a growth chamber. Aphids don't tend to do well in temperatures over 100 degrees, and these ladies got cooked. Our labs host all four soybean aphid biotypes plus a few other aphid colonies. Colony management is really important and the maintenance is ongoing to keep plants and aphids healthy. Iowa State University features a 3MT (Three-minute thesis) oral competition this week. Three people featured insect-related presentations (a long video of all the speakers can be found here).
Upcoming extension events:
ICM Conference (30 Nov, 1 Dec) in Ames
Crop Advantage Series (January 2017) in Iowa
CCA Online Review Course, (on demand)
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Due to technical difficulty, this is a second take at the podcast today. Matt and Erin start by sharing highlights from the recent International Congress of Entomology (ICE) meeting in Orlando last week. Erin talks about pest resistance issues for corn rootworm and western bean cutworm. Matt summarizes some work on rapid resistance development in agro-ecology systems. Fall nuisance invaders were also briefly discussed, including minute pirate bugs, boxelder bugs and lady beetles. Matt got excited by a recent aphid find on ISU campus this week - aphids and parasitized aphids were on collected from buckthorn. They don't understand the implications for these finds yet, but it is certainly not a common find. Lastly, Matt and Erin are speaking at the upcoming ICM Conference in Ames. Registration details will be posted soon.
Minute pirate bug adult feeding on white fly nymphs. Photo at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthocoridae.
Bad weather and superstition won't keep Matt and Erin from podcasting today. Erin shares current planting progress for Iowa (80% corn and 30% soybean) according to NASS and also talks about black cutworm injury in seedlings. Early-season clinics are starting up next week at FEEL, where she will help new agronomists learn about scouting for seedling pests. Finally, they talk about potentially podcasting on the road for the north central branch meeting in Cleveland next month.
Today, Matt and Erin ask our 2015 Gunderson Memorial Lecture speaker, Dr. Dominic Reisig, a few questions about his research and extension program. Dominic is a field crop entomologist at North Carolina State University and has a wide range of responsibilities, for pest management including corn, soybean, cotton and wheat. Topics include stink bugs, kudzu bug, caterpillars (like Old World bollworm and corn earworm), and even soybean aphid.
It's hot! But we can still talk about aphids and other insect pests. It is a quiet week for soybean pests, but things are getting active in corn. We talk about what to look for when it comes to silk feeders. For more details about rootworms, a silk feeder and rootfeeder, look up Erin's recent factsheet. At the end, Matt talks about a recent blog that summarizes his work on bees in soybean fields, http://www.agriculture.com/farm-management/conservation/bees-in-bes-qa-with-matt-oneal_556-ar32490.
