Episode 11 of 21: What is bugging you, Marlene?

Common insect pests of soybean
‘We’ve bean around the block’ podcast host Antony Jarvie interviews Dr Marlene van Rooyen, entomologist at Corteva Agriscience, about the most common soybean pests. The podcast starts off with cutworm- a ubiquitous soil pest plaguing soybean production in South Africa. This polyphagous insect is a common pest to many crops and the best strategy to control plant population loss using an integrated practice of combining cultural and chemical methods of control is debated. Stink bugs and their potential to cause quality losses in grain are discussed. The sporadic nature of leaf and pod feeding larvae are dealt with, by discussing both loopers and bollworm and their control. Finally, the insect resistance portion of the new soybean trait CE3 is discussed. Bt resistance to lepidopteran pests is on its way to soybean producers in South Africa, and the deployment of this will be incorporated into current control practices to lower risks of production in the future.