BIOLOGY, IMPACT, AND MANAGEMENT OF SOYBEAN INSECT PESTS IN SOYBEAN PRODUCTION SYSTEMS.

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1001689
• Multistate No.: S-1055
• Project Start Date: Nov 21, 2013
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2017
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV
(N/A)
MISSISSIPPI STATE,MS 39762

Performing Department
Entomology & Plant Pathology

Non Technical Summary
Soybean production is increasing to meet the world demand for protein amid dwindling food supplies. Since 2009, the US has produced over 3 billion bushels of soybeans, generating $32 billion in production value. However, various native and invasive insect pests whose distributions are rapidly expanding and adapting to management practices threaten soybean yield and quality. In the short-term, loss of current highly effective management tactics due to expanding pest complexes is increasing producer costs. In the long-term, the establishment of invasive insect pests will continue to impact soybean ecosystems, including interactions with native pests and the biological control offered by various natural enemies. To address these concerns, coordinated research and extension delivery are necessary to rapidly understand native and invasive pest biology, develop best management practices, and deliver recommendations to soybean producers. More specifically, this project will cooperate with others involved in this multi-state project to document insect losses, study pest behavior and injury to soybean, evaluate management strategies, and communicate these results with the consultants and growers making soybean production decisions so that economic losses to insects and environmental impact of management practices can be minimized.

Animal Health Component

30%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

(N/A)

Applied

30%

Developmental

70%

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
211	1820	1130	100%

Knowledge Area
211 - Insects, Mites, and Other Arthropods Affecting Plants;

Subject Of Investigation
1820 - Soybean;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;

Keywords

soybean

insect

management practices

Goals / Objectives
Characterize basic insect biology and ecology Develop coordinated applied best management practices Educate farmers, industry, colleagues, and agricultural professionals of research findings using traditional and innovative Extension toos and methods

Project Methods
1. Characterize basic insect biology and ecology The expansion of invasive pests into new regions and the adaptation of native pests necessitates further research into how insects cope with new selection pressures. Data and information from this objective will not only lead to a better understanding of insect pests, but will be integrated with Objectives 2 and 3 to develop sustainable management recommendations based on biological parameters. a. Survey for the presence, establishment and spread of emerging pests -Participants: Erin Hodgson (IA), Ames Herbert (VA), Jeff Davis (LA), Ron Hammond (OH), Andy Michel (OH), Christian Krupke (IN), Ken Yeargan (KY), Fred Musser (MS), Thomas Hunt (NE), Tiffany Heng-Moss (NE), Kelley Tilmon (SD), Brian McCornack (KS), Jeremy Greene (SC), Bruce Potter (MN), Dominic Reisig (NC), J. Knodel (ND) --Existing, multi-state sampling efforts and development of new, common protocols to monitor the spread of pests throughout the soybean-growing region will be explored. Sampling methods will be based on previous work (Temple et al. 2009; Hebert 2011).This working group has a track record of successfully tracking pest movement through the northern and southern US (e.g., soybean aphid and the PIPE network, corn earworm and PestWatch network). A new pest that will require a coordinated effort includes the continued coordination of a pheromone-based monitoring for the brown marmorated stink bug across the Midwest. A web-based system for displaying data will be posted to the Working Group website (located at wiggio.com), and presented at annual meetings, and web-based resources like BugSpot.org will be explored. b. Understand soybean pest interactions -Participants: Jeff Davis (LA), Andy Michel (OH), John Reese (KS), Christian Krupke (IN), Ken Yeargan (KY), Louis Hesler (USDA-SD), Fred Musser (MS), Thomas Hunt (NE), Tiffany Heng-Moss (NE), Kelley Tilmon (SD), Brian McCornack (KS), Jeremy Greene (SC), Bruce Potter (MN), Dominic Reisig (NC) -Soybean insect pests interact with not only soybean, but other pests, pathogens (including as vectors for plant disease), natural enemies, host plant quality, resistance and tolerance (i.e., varieties), and abiotic factors (e.g. nutrients, insecticides). Methods will include host-plant resistance screening, evaluation of non-target effects of insecticide treatments (both seed-applied and foliar) and efficacy of virus transmission (referenced in Michel et al. 2011; Hodsgon et al. 2012; Hill et al. 2012) 2. Develop coordinated applied best management practices There is an ongoing need to have current and accurate pest management strategies in soybean. Using multiple insecticide applications every year is not a sustainable way to manage insects in field crops. For example, aphids have a historical record of becoming genetically resistant to a broad range of chemical classes, and populations can quickly become tolerant to organophosphates and pyrethroids. Working group participants have also demonstrated increases in pyrethroid resistance in various lepidopteran pests. One way to ensure effective products stay viable is to use them judiciously. For example, only treating soybean aphids when they surpass the economic threshold will help save money and boost natural enemy populations. New management recommendations need to be developed for emerging insect pests, made more complicated by their concurrence with native or newly established pest species. a. Develop sampling protocols and thresholds -Participants: Erin Hodgson (IA), Ames Herbert (VA), Fred Musser (MS), Thomas Hunt (NE), Brian McCornack (KS), , Jeremy Greene (SC), Bruce Potter (MN), Dominic Reisig (NC), Dominic Reisig (NC), J. Knodel (ND), Jeff Davis (LA) - Many successful IPM programs include regular sampling as a foundation. This can be especially important for managing erratic and emerging pests in soybean because the timing of insecticidal applications is critical. Developing and implementing economic thresholds is also important for reducing overall inputs and environmental risks, while increasing grower confidence and limiting the propensity of growers to apply treatments prophylactically (Temple et al. 2009). For example, a recently funded project by the North Central Soybean Research Program, coordinated efforts to develop soybean aphid thresholds for Rag1 (aphid-resistant soybean), late-season or mature soybean, and coordinated efforts between southern and northern tier soybean producing states to establish common ET/EIL protocols for addressing BMSB and other relevant stink bug species. Continual development of thresholds for established pests like soybean aphid as well as deployment of common protocols for emerging pests (e.g., BMSB, kudzu bug) will be completed through adapted multi-state protocols, which is group has a history of conducting (see Ragsdale et al. 2007). b. Evaluate control efficacy and monitor for resistance -Participants: Erin Hodgson (IA), Ames Herbert (VA), Andy Michel (OH), Christian Krupke (IN), Fred Musser (MS), Thomas Hunt (NE), Brian McCornack (KS), Jeremy Greene (SC), Bruce Potter (MN), Dominic Reisig (NC), J. Knodel (ND), Jeff Davis (LA) - Insecticides are the primary management tools for many of the most damaging and widespread soybean pests. However, overuse of insecticidal modes of action can lead to decreased efficacy and yield loss. Many members of our Working Group participate in efficacy evaluations for both registered and unregistered compounds and resistance monitoring of economically important pests. These programs help document change in product efficacy and describe changes in susceptibility of genetic populations. Established insecticide resistance monitoring programs will continue for key pests in much of the southern US (e.g., corn earworm). For northern states, fellow project investigators from each state will send field-collected populations of soybean aphids to the University of Nebraska insect toxicology laboratory. Aphid populations will be maintained in a plant growth chamber as described by Maghalaes et al. (2008). If necessary, aphid populations will be held and increased in the greenhouse on aphid-susceptible soybean variety. A systemic bioassay developed by Maghalaes et al. (2008, 2009) will be used for soybean aphid bioassays. In brief, the cut petioles of excised soybean leaves are immersed in solutions with different concentrations of technical grade insecticide and a control. Each petiole is infested with 30 aphids. Members have established additional protocols based on previous work (Temple et al. 2009; Musser et al. 2012), providing a solid foundation to expand to new pests, chemicals and environments. d. Evaluate new technologies (host plant resistance, transgenics, seed treatments) -Participants: Erin Hodgson (IA), Ames Herbert (VA), Andy Michel (OH), John Reese (KS), Louis Hesler (USDA-SD), Fred Musser (MS), Thomas Hunt (NE), Kelley Tilmon (SD), Brian McCornack (KS), Jeremy Greene (SC), Bruce Potter (MN), Ian McRae (MN), Dominic Reisig (NC), J. Knodel (ND), Jeff Davis (LA) - In the last ten years, there has been an explosion of insect suppression technologies in soybean. Our Working Group participants are the primary contacts for the private sector in evaluating new tools in soybean like host plant resistance, transgenics and seed treatments in both laboratory and field settings.

Progress 11/21/13 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:The primary audiences for this project were row crop growers and their consultants. These audiences were reached through numerous talks at extension meetings and through posting results on the Mississippi Crop Situation blog. A secondary audience was the scientific community. Oral presentations were given at entomological meetings and numerous refereed manuscripts were published during the course of this project. A third audience includes students that take the classes that I teach (graduate and undergraduate students) and student workers in my research program. Data from this project were incorporated into my formal and informal teaching to these students. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Under this project, 4 PhD and 2 MS students received training and conducted research. In addition, the extension meetings and blog articles provided new information to growers and agricultural professionals to improve the economics and environmental impacts of soybean insect management. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Research results were reported in numerous extension and scientific meetings. Where appropriate, results from research were incorporated into the MS Insect Control Guide. Numerous journal publications and blog articles (http://www.mississippi-crops.com/) were also written based on the research conducted. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? A survey was conducted annually among seven southern states that grew more than 10 million acres of soybean to document inputs and losses attributed to insects. Over all participating states and years, insects cost growers $39.18/acre in costs and lost yield. Corn earworm was the most costly pest ($14.05/ac) followed by the stink bug complex ($7.11/ac) and soybean looper ($6.61/ac). Field research led to a reduction in the threshold for corn earworm and an increase in the threshold for threecornered alfalfa hopper. Research on defoliation thresholds will result in a dynamic threshold based on planting date and yield potential rather than the static threshold currently used. The net outcome of these studies will not likely increase or decrease insecticide use much, but insecticide applications will be better targeted to have the greatest impact on insect damage, so yield and quality losses from insects should decrease. Obj. 1. During this project, studies examining the biology and ecology of insects were conducted on tobacco budworm, corn earworm and kudzu bug. The tobacco budworm and corn earworm research examined where moths found in soybean production regions developed as larvae by detecting a compound marker in the moth that is fairly unique when larvae developed in soybean. This work was conducted to prepare for potential introduction of Bt soybean into the United States. It was learned that soybean is a key host of both species late in the year in some geographies, so introduction of Bt genes into soybean, especially if using the same genes as found in corn and cotton, could hasten the development of resistance to Bt toxins. Kudzu bug is a new pest in the midsouthern United States. A survey was conducted during 2017 in kudzu and soybean to document the population dynamics and major biological control agents present in Mississippi. Beauveria bassiana was a major pathogen that appeared in both habitats at the same time, decreasing the density, but not eliminating the population from these habitats. Obj 2. Corn earworm susceptibility to pyrethroids was monitored annually until 2016 in 9 southern states. During this time, resistance spread from being concentrated in Virginia and Louisiana to all monitored states. As a result, many states no longer recommend the use of pyrethroids to control corn earworm. Threshold research was conducted for corn earworm, defoliating insects, threecornered alfalfa hopper and kudzu bug. Corn earworm thresholds were reduced while threecornered alfalfa hopper thresholds were increased to better reflect the damage observed in these trials. Results from defoliation trials suggests that the damage from defoliation varies depending on when soybean is planted and what the yield potential is for the field. Rather than recommend a static threshold based on growth stage of the soybean, these additional factors should be also considered to create a dynamic defoliation threshold. However, this research was not able to be completed during this project. Other defoliation research compared a single defoliation to equivalent incremental defoliation events. Yields did not vary between the 2 types of defoliation. Kudzu bug research was initiated to develop treatment thresholds for soybean during vegetative growth stages, but could not be completed due to a lack of insects early in the growing season. Preliminary findings suggest that the threshold during vegetative growth stages exceeds 3 bugs per plant. Observations from the kudzu bug survey mentioned in Obj. 1 suggest that large kudzu bug infestations during early vegetative growth will be a rare occurrence. Because kudzu bug is a new pest target for insecticides in our region, research was conducted on insecticide efficacy and residue durability. Clothianidin and pyrethroids appeared to provide the highest level of efficacy initially, and the neonicotinoid clothianidin provided the longest residual control of kudzu bug. Obj. 3: The Mississippi Crop Situation Blog was maintained with numerous articles posted about soybean insects throughout the years of this project. Many agricultural professionals and growers were visited and trained through various extension and industry sponsored meetings and through personal visits throughout the year.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adams, A., J. Gore, A. Catchot, F. Musser, D. Cook, N. Krishnan, and T. Irby. 2016. Residual and systemic efficacy of chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide against corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in soybean. J. Econ. Entomol. 109(6): 2411-2417.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Musser, F., A. Catchot, J. Davis, G. Lorenz, T. Reed, D. Reisig, S. Stewart and S. Taylor. 2017. 2016 soybean insect losses in the southern US. Midsouth Entomol. 10:1-13. http://midsouthentomologist.org.msstate.edu/.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Musser, F., A. Catchot, J. Davis, D. A. Herbert, G. Lorenz, T. Reed, D. Reisig, and S. Stewart. 2016. 2015 soybean insect losses in the southern US. Midsouth Entomol. 9:5-17. http://midsouthentomologist.org.msstate.edu/
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Musser, F. R., A. L. Catchot, Jr., J. A. Davis, D. A. Herbert, Jr., G. M. Lorenz, T. Reed, D. D. Reisig, and S. D. Stewart. 2014. 2013 soybean insect losses in the southern US. Midsouth Entomol. 7:15-28. http://midsouthentomologist.org.msstate.edu/

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:The primary audiences for this project are row crop growers and their consultants. These audiences were reached through numerous talks at extension meetings and through posting results on the Mississippi Crop Situation blog. A secondary audience was the scientific community. Oral presentations are given at entomological meetings and numerous refereed manuscripts will be published during the course of this project. A third audience includes students that take the classes that I teach (graduate and undergraduate students) and student workers in my research program. Data from this project are incorporated into my formal and informal teaching to these students. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Under this CRIS, 4 Ph.D. and 2 M.S. students received training and conducted research. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Research results were reported in numerous extension and scientific meetings. Where appropriate, results from earlier research were incorporated into the MS Insect Control Guide (e.g. corn earworm dynamic threshold in soybean) What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? An annual survey was conducted among seven southern states that grew a total of more than 11 million acres of soybean to document inputs and losses attributed to insects. Stink bug was the most costly pest during 2015 followed by corn earworm, soybean looper, and bean leaf beetle. Estimated yield losses to insects were 3.51% or $14.25/acre even after spending $23.85/acre on insect controls. This survey has been conducted annually since 2004 and provides a valuable perspective on changes in insect pressure and management over time. Obj. 1. Research was initiated during 2016 to better understand the biology of the kudzu bug, a new pest of soybean. In particular we are monitoring its population dynamics in soybean and its impact on soybean when it infests soybean during early vegetative stages. Surveys were conducted over many planting dates, geographical regions and soybean varieties to evaluate population dynamics of pest and beneficial insects in soybean. Research was initiated in 2016 to evaluate the impact of agronomic management on nectar production in soybean. Obj 2. Corn earworm susceptibility to pyrethroids was monitored in 9 southern states. All states east of the Mississippi River now have high survival to pyrethroids, and many states no longer recommend the use of pyrethroids to control corn earworm. This is a significant change over the last 2-3 years. Kudzu bug research was initiated to develop treatment thresholds for soybean during vegetative and reproductive growth stages. Insecticide efficacy was also tested against kudzu bug. Studies examining the impact of defoliation on soybean were expanded to examine sustained low levels of defoliation versus a single major defoliation event. The impact of cover crops on insect populations in soybean are also being studied as cover crops become more popular in the region. Obj. 3: The Mississippi Crop Situation Blog was maintained with numerous articles posted about soybean insects throughout the year. Many consultants and growers were visited through various extension and industry sponsored meetings and through personal visits throughout the year.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: North, J., J. Gore, A. Catchot, S. Stewart, G. Lorenz, F. Musser, D. Cook, D. Kerns and D. Dodds. 2016. Value of neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments in Mid-South soybean (Glycine max L.) production systems. J. Econ. Entomol. 109(3): 1156-1160. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jee/tow035.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Adams, B. P., D. R. Cook, A. L. Catchot, J. Gore, F. Musser, S. D. Stewart, D. L. Kerns, G. M. Lorenz, J. T. Irby and B. Golden. 2016. Evaluation of corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), economic injury levels in Mid-South reproductive stage soybean. J. Econ. Entomol. 109(3): 1161-1166. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jee/tow052.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: North, J. Impact of neonicotinoids in mid-south row crop systems. M.S. thesis. Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:The primary audiences for this project are row crop growers and their consultants. These audiences were reached through numerous talks at extension meetings and through posting results on the Mississippi Crop Situation blog. A secondary audience was the scientific community. Oral presentations are given at entomological meetings and numerous refereed manuscripts will be published during the course of this project. A third audience includes students that take the classes that I teach (graduate and undergraduate students) and student workers in my research program. Data from this project are incorporated into my formal and informal teaching to these students. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A MS student completed his research andgraduated. Mentors were all involved in this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Information is disseminated through the Mississippi Crop Situation blog, the annual publication of the Insect Control Guide for Agronomic Crops by the MS Cooperative Extension Service, and presentations at numerous extension and industry sponsored meetings and field days. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The impact of research completed isto revise action thresholds so that growers only apply insecticides when economically justified. For some pests like threecornered alfalfa hopper, the threshold will be raised,while for other pests like corn earworm, the threshold has beenreduced. An annual survey was conducted among seven southern states that grew a total of more than 11million acres of soybean to document inputs and losses attributed to insects. Corn earworm was the most costly pest during 2014followed by stink bugs, bean leaf beetleand soybean looper. Estimated yield losses to insects were 4.09% or $20.47/acre even after spending $23.78/acre on insect controls. This survey has been conducted annually since 2004 and provides a valuable perspective on changes in insect pressure and management over time. Obj. 1. Studies on the role of soybean in the population dynamics of corn earworm and tobacco budworm were completedduring 2014. Techniques now exist to determine some larval hosts of these insects by examining moth wings. The impact of soybean on population dynamics of these pests is needed to estimate the risk of resistance for potential Bt transgenic crops in soybean in the southern landscape. Further studies were conducted to look at oviposition preference of corn earworm and tobacco budworm on cotton and soybean were conducted.These data are being incorporated into resistance management models to evaluate the potential risk of management changes on insect susceptibility to Bt toxins in soybean. Obj 2. Research on threecornered alfalfa hopper feeding during soybean reproductive growth was completed and it failed to cause any yield loss even atdensities of 60 adults/row ft for two weeks. Sweep net calibrations in large field cages with known densities of threecorneredalfalfa hoppers suggest that the sweep net collects approximately 10% of the population, so a density of 60 adult threecornered alfalfa hoppers per row ft is equivalent to>6/sweep, far exceeding the current threshold of 2/sweep. Discussions with neighboring states regarding raising our action threshold based on this research are ongoing. Threshold research for corn earworm in soybean was completed and published. Yield losses from early-reproductive stage depodding is minimal, because many pods naturally abort in the absence of insect feeding, but later depodding causes substantial yield losses. These data are being incorporated into the insect management recommendations. Corn earworm susceptibility to pyrethroids were monitored throughout this project in 9 southern states. Several states, including MS, reported large increases in survival, signaling a potential increase in resistance over a broader area than observed previously. Obj. 3: The Mississippi Crop Situation Blog was maintained with numerous articles posted about soybean insects throughout the year. Many consultants and growers were visited through various extension and industry sponsored meetings and through personal visits throughout the year.

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Ramsey, J. 2015. Evaluating the pest status of threecornered alfalfa hopper in Mississippi agricultural crops. MS. thesis. Mississippi State University.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Adams, B., A. Catchot, D. Cook, J. Gore, F. Musser, J. T. Irby and B. Golden. 2015. The impact of simulated corn earworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) damage in indeterminate soybean. J. Econ. Entomol. 108(3): 1072-1078 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jee/tov094
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Musser, F. R., A. L. Catchot, Jr., J. A. Davis, D. A. Herbert, Jr., G. M. Lorenz, T. Reed, D. D. Reisig, and S. D. Stewart. 2015. 2014 soybean insect losses in the southern US. Midsouth Entomol. 8:35-48. http://midsouthentomologist.org.msstate.edu/

Progress 11/21/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: The primary audiences for this project are row crop growers and their consultants. These audiences were reached through numerous talks at extension meetings and through posting results on the Mississippi Crop Situation blog. A secondary audience was the scientific community. Oral presentations are given at entomological meetings and numerous refereed manuscripts will be published during the course of this project. A third audience includes students that take the classes that I teach (graduate and undergraduate students) and student workers in my research program. Data from this project are incorporated into my formal and informal teaching to these students. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? 1 MS student conducted his research and was mentored by the PI in this project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Inofmration is disseminated through the Mississippi Crop Situation blog, the annual publication of the Insect Control Guide for Agronomic Crops by the MS Cooperative Extension Service, and presentations at numerous extension and industry sponsored meetings and field days. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The impact of ongoing research will be to revise action thresholds so that growers only apply insecticides when economically justified. For some pests like threecornered alfalfa hopper, the threshold is being raised, while for other pests, the threshold may be reduced. An annual survey was conducted among seven southern states that grew a total of more than 10 million acres of soybean to document inputs and losses attributed to insects. Corn earworm was the most costly pest during 2013 followed by stink bugs and soybean looper. Estimated yield losses to insects were 3.86% or $22.98/acre even after spending $25.72/acre on insect controls. Over time, this survey can measure the impact of changes in our recommendations. Obj. 1. The role of soybean in the population dynamics of corn earworm and tobacco budworm were studied during 2014. Techniques now exist to determine some larval hosts of these insects by examining moth wings. The impact of soybean on population dynamics of these pests is needed to estimate the risk of resistance for potential Bt transgenic crops in soybean in the southern landscape. Further studies were conducted to look at oviposition preference of corn earworm and tobacco budworm on cotton and soybean were conducted. Obj 2. Threecornered alfalfa hopper feeding during soybean reproductive growth failed to cause any yield loss even at densities of 60 adults/row ft for two weeks. Sweep net calibrations in large field cages with known densities of threecornered alfalfa hoppers suggest that the sweep net collects approximately 10% of the population, so a density of 60 adult threecornered alfalfa hoppers per row ft is equivalent to>6/sweep, far exceeding the current threshold of 2/sweep. Research on this project has been completed and a student is currently analyzing the data and preparing it for publication in a thesis and journal articles. Threshold research for corn earworm in soybean continued during 2014. Yield losses from early-reproductive stage depodding is minimal, because many pods naturally abort in the absence of insect feeding, but later depodding causes substantial yield losses. Data are currently being analyzed and thresholds for corn earworm in soybean will be adjusted as a result. Corn earworm susceptibility to pyrethroids were monitored throughout this project in 9 southern states. No major changes in susceptibility were reported. Obj. 3: The Mississippi Crop Situation Blog was maintained with numerous articles posted about soybean insects throughout the year. Many consultants and growers were visited through various extension and industry sponsored meetings and through personal visits throughout the year.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Owen, L. N., A. L. Catchot, F. R. Musser, J. Gore, D. Cook, R. Jackson and C. Allen. Impact of defoliation on yield of group IV soybeans in Mississippi. Crop Protection 54: 206-212. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2013.08.007
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Swenson, S. J., D. A. Prischmann-Voldseth and F. R. Musser. 2013. Corn earworms (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) as pests of soybean. J. Integ. Pest Mngmt. 4(2). http://dx.doi.org/10.1603/IPM13008
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Owen, L. N., A. L. Catchot, F. R. Musser, J. Gore, D. R. Cook and R. Jackson. 2013. Susceptibility of Chrysodeixis includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to reduced-risk insecticides. Fla. Entomol. 96(2): 554-559. http://dx.doi.org/10.1653/024.096.0221
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Jones, J. Association between stink bug damage and the incidence of Phomopsis longicolla in Mississippi soybean production. MS. thesis. Mississippi State University.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Musser, F. R., A. L. Catchot, Jr., J. A. Davis, D. A. Herbert, Jr., G. M. Lorenz, T. Reed, D. D. Reisig, and S. D. Stewart. 2013. 2012 soybean insect losses in the southern US. Midsouth Entomol. 6:12-24. http://midsouthentomologist.org.msstate.edu/