2018
Improving and Reducing Costs of Control for Caterpillar Pests in Soybean
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Contributor/Checkoff:
North Carolina Soybean Producers Association
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
Biotic stressCrop protectionField management Pest
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Dominic Reisig, North Carolina State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
18-051
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
North Carolina Soybean Producers Association
$20,284
Institution Funded:
North Carolina State University
$20,284
Brief Project Summary:

Caterpillar pests cause more losses to North Carolina growers than they may realize. Management of these pests is threatened due to increasing insecticide resistance. This project seeks to begin to understand the nature of this resistance. Research aims to begin to assess the utility of the corn earworm adult vial assay test to predict pyrethroid resistance in North Carolina soybean, to see if pyrethroid resistance in corn earworm is associated with cropping patters in the surrounding landscape and to identify and begin to understand insecticide resistance with multiple modes of action in North Carolina soybean looper.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, extension agents

Information And Results
Final Project Results

Updated October 10, 2019:

View uploaded report PDF file

Caterpillar pests cause more losses to North Carolina growers than they may realize. For example, while many growers might not claim to have a problem with insect pests, most growers end up spraying for them. In 2014, caterpillar pest numbers were about average-neither really abundant or absent. However, during this year, caterpillar pests caused an estimated $43.7 million dollar loss and cost of control in North Carolina soybean. One way to reduce these losses is to identify where pests are present, to minimize unnecessary sprays where they are not, and to identify where expensive caterpillar insecticides are needed and where they are not. For example, this study showed that soybean loopers are highly resistant to pyrethroids, like bifenthrin, in North Carolina. As a result, pyrethroidscan flare looper populations even when tank mixed with a caterpillar-specific insecticide, like chlorantraniliprole. This research will help North Carolina soybean growers select the most effective and inexpensive insecticide for both corn earworm and loopers during 2019.

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.