Genetic tools could identify pyrethroid-resistant aphids and restore susceptibility. BY LAURA TEMPLE, SOYBEAN RESEARCH & INFORMATION NETWORK
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oybean aphids, like many pests, are developing resistance to primary control options. Researchers have confirmed that populations in southern Minnesota and northern Iowa have become less susceptible to pyrethroid insecticides. To better understand this threat, Matt O’Neal, professor of entomology at Iowa State University, collaborated with colleagues and students to apply genetic tools to this challenge. His efforts build on earlier research funded by the soy checkoff, and the Iowa Soybean Association is funding this research.
30 | DECEMBER 2023 | IASOYBEANS.COM
“Aphid populations were low in the northern third of Iowa where we collected samples in 2021 and 2022, but our observations suggest that they increased following a foliar insecticide,” says O’Neal. “Populations were below treatment thresholds, so there was little risk of yield loss from the aphids. But this insecticide application increased the risk of resistant aphids spreading, making a bad situation worse.” Economic research funded by the North Central Soybean Research Program explored the
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