Develop cost-effective and sustainable recommendations for the management of the major insect problems in soybeans in different growing regions in Arkansas. Insect management continues to be a major focal point for growers and consultants in Arkansas soybeans, and developing sound recommendations for the most effective and economical control of insects is key to helping soybean producers be profitable. This project addresses various aspects of integrated management of problematic pests associated with soybean production.

New pesticides are being released for bollworms, soybean loopers, and fall armyworms. These are viruses that are specific to the particular caterpillar and have been found to be effective with a good residual. The treatments containing these products are competitively price as compared to chemical insecticides. Conducting on-farm trials to determine level of control, for developing a data set to help us make recommendations on use, will be important.

An increasing number of growers are adopting cover crops across the state. Soybean seed treatments and foliar insecticide applications, as well as cultural control methods, need to be evaluated in cover crops for control of commonly associated insect pests.