This proposal is a request for a Year 3 renewal on the three-year project plan first submitted in May 2021. This proposal has programs related to several insect pest problems of emerging importance in the North Central Region. Our objectives are based on professionally-organized focus group sessions with farmers and crop consultants. Farmer priorities include the emerging threat of soybean gall midge, lack of threshold use for several reasons, but in part because of the time and effort needed to scout, the need for pest monitoring and alerts especially for emerging pests, and the importance of communicating unbiased, research-based pest management information to farmers. These priorities informed this proposal with objectives on soybean gall midge (alert network, germplasm screening, tillage/mowing for management, new detection efforts); stink bugs (pheromone-baited traps for scouting); soybean aphid (tolerant varieties in public/private partnership with Corteva; regional monitoring/reporting); and extension deliverables. In addition, this year we are adding a new objective in response to a new emerging pest first identified in Minnesota: soybean tentiform leafminer. This pest has the capacity to significantly impact soybean yield and this objective is to provide new information on its biology and management. Another new effort this year will be to use the NCSRP funds (if awarded) for soybean gall midge and soybean leafminer as match for the federal grant program USDA-FFAR-ROAR (Rapid Outcomes from Agricultural Research). This program funds time-sensitive research on emerging pests and requires match from non-federal sources. We have made a proposal to this USDA program in conjunction with this proposal, with complementary objectives (review pending). If this is successful it will be an excellent way to leverage checkoff dollars for additional impact. All of the objectives in this proposal will contribute to best-practice pest management in soybean, and contribute positively to farmers’ bottom lines.

Program I. Soybean Gall Midge
1.1 Soybean Gall Midge Alert Network
1.2 Midge-Resistant Soybean Germplasm
1.3 Tillage and Mowing as Control Strategies for Soybean Gall Midge
1.4 New Detection/Injury Survey

Program II. Easier Scouting Methods
2.1 Pheromone-Baited Traps for Stink Bug Monitoring and Thresholds

Program III. Soybean Aphid
3.1 Aphid-Resistant Varieties
3.1.1 Impact of growing resistant varieties without insecticide
3.1.2 Frequency and modeling of virulent aphid biotypes
3.2 Suction Trap Network for Monitoring Aphids and Thrips

Program IV. Extension and Outreach
5.1 Extension Deliverables

Soybean Gall Midge Deliverables
• Publication with six years of adult emergence data
• Gall midge alert network
• Gall midge information website
• Resistant germplasm report and manuscript for publication
• Tillage/mowing: prepare reports and paper submitted for tillage and mowing
• Updated distribution maps with any new gall midge detections

Soybean Tentiform Leafminer Deliverables

• Report of first-year findings
• Grant proposal submitted to USDA

Stink Bug Performance Deliverables
• Extension publication on stink bug trapping/monitoring

Soybean Aphid Deliverables
- 3-year summary on frequency of virulence in the North Central Region
- Final assessment on benefits of spraying Rag plots
- Final report

Suction Trap Network Deliverables
- Make data publicly available through Suction Trap Network website
- Provide annual summary of soybean pest abundance

Extension Deliverables
•Develop extension deliverables based on Year 2 results – printing will be deferred to another project-year because of budget cuts to Year 3 funding

All of the objectives in this proposal will contribute to best-practice pest management in soybean, and contribute positively to farmers’ bottom lines. Soybean gall midge is an emerging pest in the North Central Region and this project will provide monitoring and new county detection information, an informational website, preliminary data on possible sources of resistant germplasm, and information on whether tillage and mowing might provide management strategies. Soybean tentiform leafminer is also a new, emerging pest and this project will provide preliminary information in insecticide efficacy, life cycles, and leafminer genetics that will inform future research. Stink bugs are difficult to scout late in the season when they are most damaging, and this project will provide a new scouting method using pheromone lures that will make detection and management decisions easier. The project will provide information on whether there is a benefit to spraying for soybean aphids in aphid-resistant varieties. And finally, the aphid suction trap network provides a publicly available monitoring tool for regional aphid trends.