Results from the first year of our study showed that Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) and Soybean mosaic virus (SMV) were present in the majority of the fields surveyed. BPMV was detected more frequently than SMV, and incidence sometimes reached a high level as early as the bloom stage of plant development. BPMV is spread to and among soybeans by feeding bean leaf beetles (BLB) which can often be found in fields during the early vegetative growth stages of soybeans. Our results suggest that BLB may likely transmit BPMV at an earlier stage of plant growth than bloom which could relate to higher levels of crop damage. If confirmed in Alabama, it would suggest that early season control of BLB may...