Soybean Sentinel Plot Report: September 27, 2022

Summary of reports:

As soybeans mature and drop their leaves (Figure 1), soybean pests are less relevant. Soybeans in the last two reports have reached R7 and R8. While grasshoppers, stink bugs, and aphid were found, at this point they are not really pests—they are more like residents who will have to prepare for cooler temperatures and will exit soybean fields shortly. Harvest will be the next concern for growers and some fields have significant lodging (Figure 2) that will be a concern for some.

This will be the final week for 2022 of our reporting on soybean insects and diseases. Thanks for following along with us as we revealed and tracked the soybean pest complex from June until September. We will do it again this year. If you have suggestions that you think would make our scouting efforts more useful for you, please get in touch with your local, county-based agronomy educator or me. For information on implementing IPM in soybean fields, see our recently published fact sheet on the topic.

Background on the project

This growing season the Pennsylvania Soybean Promotion Board is funding a Soybean Sentinel Plot Program, which is being managed by The Department of Entomology at Penn State and executed by Penn State Extension. In this effort, Penn State Extension Educators are regularly scouting about 25 ‘typical’ soybean fields in about 20 counties across the state, reporting the populations of plant pathogens and insect pests that they find. Our goal is to inform the agricultural community about which pests are active across the state, so folks will have a sense of what to expect when they scout their own fields as part of an IPM program. It would be inappropriate to use these reports to justify insecticide applications.

In the reports below, pests that were found during scouting are listed with their severity, which is rated on a 1-10 scale with 10 being the highest. A severity score of 1 equates to 10% or less infestation or defoliation, a "2" aligns with 20% or less infestation or defoliation, and so on. Growers should be sure to check their own fields to determine your local populations, but these reports will indicate which pests are likely to be active in fields. Our reports are distributed via this weekly newsletter and are available via the Penn State Extension website (then search for "soybean sentinel plot").

Reports

27 September 2022 – Berks County – Sarah Frame

Near Brownsville

Growth stage: R7

• Grasshopper – Severity: 1
• Soybean aphid – Severity: 1
• No diseases noted

26 September 2022 – Bedford County – Leanna Dupptstadt

Field near Fishertown

Growth stage: R8

• Grasshopper – Severity: 1
• Green stink bug – Severity: 1
• Frogeye leaf spot – Severity: 1
• Septoria brown spot – Severity: 1

Figure 2. A soybean field in Berks County with some lodging that will complicate harvesting (Photo by Sarah Frame, Penn State Extension).