Soybean south february 2018

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A cold shoulder Freezing temps knock down redbanded stink bugs

FEBRUARY 2018

VICKY BOYD

A cold shoulder Redbanded stink bugs don’t go into diapause, which is similar to hibernation. Instead, they continue to feed and reproduce although at a much slower pace. Mild winters the past two years allowed the pest to produce one to two generations, so you start the season with higher numbers.

Freezing winter temperatures should help knock down redbanded stink bug populations.

By Vicky Boyd Editor

ON THE COVER: Bruce Schultz of the LSU AgCenter shot this photo near Lecompte, Louisiana.

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PHOTO COURTESY MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY

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ub-freezing winter temperatures throughout much of the South and Mid-South likely knocked down redbanded stink bug populations, prompting cheers from growers and consultants who have battled the pest for the past two years.

Nevertheless, Dr. Jeff Davis, an associate professor of entomology with the Louisiana State University AgCenter in Baton Rouge, recommends growers and consultants continue to scout this summer in case some redbanded stink bugs escaped the cold snap. Other stink bugs native to the region, such as the green stink bug, can withstand colder temperatures and could still be troublesome.

Davis was part of a group that just published research results showing 10 hours at 23 degrees can kill 90 percent of a redbanded stink bug population.

“We had more than enough hours to do that,” he says, adding the 23 degrees is air temperature. In the fall, the pest seeks protected areas, such as leaf litter and buildings, in which to overwinter.

As a result, some small populations may survive the hard freeze.

Areas south of Interstate 10, such as Beaumont, Texas, only dipped a few degrees below freezing briefly and may not see the same

Direct feeding on the seeds and pods by redbanded stink bug nymphs and adults may reduce seed quality and quantity.

population reductions.

The Mid-South experienced hard freezes in 2010 and 2014 similar to this winter, with redbanded stink bug populations significantly reduced the following season.

A legume-only diet Redbanded stink bugs do not go into diapause, a sort of hibernation, during the winter. They continue to feed and reproduce, but at a much slower rate, Davis says. Warm winters, such as the past two, have allowed one to two generations to reproduce, so you start the SOYBEANSOUTH.COM

PHOTO COURTESY USDA; BUGWOOD.ORG

spring with much higher numbers.

Redbanded stink bugs only feed on legumes, consuming clovers during the winter and moving into soybeans once the crop has emerged. The recent freezes also killed most of its food sources, meaning many will starve.

The pest, which is native to Central America, typically migrates north through Texas and Louisiana with the rising temperatures of spring and summer, says Gus Lorenz, University of Arkansas Extension entomologist.

“We frankly haven’t had much acreage for red banded stink bugs in the last four to five years,” he says. “So these two mild winters we’ve had in a row have had a huge impact. They were extremely problematic for growers — especially in the southern part of the state — who typically made from one to four additional pesticide applications to get them under control, costing an additional $12-$60 an acre.”

A cold reception The cold temperatures should help growers deal with other pests, too, says Nick Bateman, University of Arkansas assistant entomology professor.

“A lot of the insect pests we deal with are weather-sensitive,” he says. “Fall armyworms, rice water weevil and other pests that traditionally migrate — this will help push them back out of the state, rather than overwintering here. It’ll take them a longer time to migrate back into the state.”

Although the cold also can affect beneficial insects, Lorenz says they are more likely native to a given area and are better adapted to the local environment.

Beating back the redbanded stink bug may be welcome news, but he and Davis say growers should still be ready to do the work neces-

Clover may be a good wildlife food plot crop or help minimize erosion along roadsides, but it also serves as food for overwintering redbanded stink bugs.

sary to put themselves in the best position for success in 2018.

“As we go into the 2018 season, the things that growers can do to take full advantage of this weather are the same things we would normally tell them to do to avoid pests, including planting early and using early-maturing varieties,” Lorenz says. “If you plant early, you avoid a lot of these pests.”

The University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture contributed to this article.

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@LocalSeedCo FEBRUARY 2018

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I N D U S T R Y

where the plant is rooted. When a foliar pathogen attacks, the plant recruits B. subtilis to help its multiplication.

The B. subtilis bacteria bind to the plant’s roots and invoke abscisic acid and salicylic acid signaling pathways to close the stomata.

Abscisic acid and salicylic acid are important hormones involved in plant defense.

When a plant encounters adverse environmental conditions, such as drought, for example, abscisic acid triggers the stomata to shut tightly to prevent the plant from dehydrating.

Strikingly, the research team’s data revealed that of different root-associated soil bacteria tested, only Bacillus species were effective in closing the stomata and for a prolonged period.

■ EPA registers fungicide premix from Bayer The Environmental Protection Agency has registered Delaro fungicide, a premix of two products, from Bayer CropScience for use on soybeans and corn. It is registered in most states except for Utah, California and Alaska.

The premix contains the active ingredients prothioconazole and trifloxystrobin, Fungicide Resistance Action Committee Groups 3 and 11, respectively, according to the product label.

It provides broad-spectrum control of frogeye leafspot, brown spot, aerial blight and white mold in soybeans, according to a news release.

Delaro moves both inside and outside the plant, according to Bayer. It diffuses in and on the waxy cuticle of the plant surface. It also expands across the plant’s exterior by moving via surface moisture, such as dew.

Within the plant, the fungicide is transported through plant tissue, according to company literature.

■ Nine Arkansas growers top 100 bushels/acre in yield

PHOTO COURTESY UNITED SOYBEAN BOARD

Janine Sherrier (left), professor of plant and soil sciences, and colleague Harsh Bais, associate professor of plant and soil sciences at the University of Delaware, were the lead inventors of the patented microbe, which the university has licensed exclusively to BASF.

■ BASF plans to launch biofungicide seed treatment The Environmental Protection Agency has registered several formulations of Velondis, a biological fungicide seed treatment that initially will be labeled for soybeans.

A key part of the product is based on research conducted by the University of Delaware into a specific strain of a naturally occurring beneficial microbe, Bacillus subtillis BU1814.

The university has patented the particular organism as B. subtillus strain UD 1022.

The bacterium colonizes plant roots and the surrounding soil or rhizosphere. At the same time, it produces a biofilm and antimicrobial compounds that promote systemic resistance within the plant, according to a news release. The result is suppression of pathogens that attach to the root system.

Millions of stomata, consisting of microscopic pores surrounded by guard cells, cover the above-ground parts of plants. The pores resemble tiny mouths, or doors, which the guard cells open and close to allow carbon dioxide, oxygen, water and minerals in and out of the plant.

Pathogens also can slip through these stomata and begin infecting the plant. However, as University of Delaware researchers confirmed, this invasion is halted when B. subtilis is present in the soil

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N E W S

contest Nine Arkansas growers topped 100 bushels per acre in the 2017 Grow for the Green Soybean Yield Contest sponsored by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board and the Arkansas Soybean Association.

The contest divided Arkansas soybean producers into eight groups, seven geographic regions and one all-state conventional (non-GMO) category.

The top three producers overall were Perry Galloway of Gregory with 108.904 bushels per acre; Layne Miles of McGehee with 108.052 bushels per acre; and Mary Galloway of Augusta with 107.568 bushels per acre.

At the recent Arkansas Soybean Association Annual Meeting in Brinkley, cash prizes were awarded to the top three in each division who achieved a minimum of 60 bushels per acre.

Altogether, 118 soybean producers entered the 2017 contest. Of those, nine reached or exceeded the 100-bushels-per-acre milestone during the season.

The Race for 100 yield contest began in 2007. In 2013, three producers reached the goal.

■ Kentucky growers smash state yield record Kentucky growers set records in 2017 in the soybean yield contest hosted by the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment and the Kentucky Soybean Board.

Meredith Farms, owned by Philip and Lea Meredith in Henderson, produced the record-breaking yield of 107.76 bushels per acre in the full-season, irrigated category of the yield contest, according to a news release.

This is the first time a yield of more than 100 bushels per acre has been documented in Kentucky. It also smashed the previous record of 98.34 bushels per acre set in 2015, a record Meredith Farms also held.

The operation had two other entries top the 100-bushel-per-acre threshold in the 2017 contest. They will be the first farm inducted into the Kentucky Soybean Board’s 100 Bushel Club.

Kentucky farmers also broke records in the double-crop, non-irrigated portion of the contest with two entries harvesting more than 80 bushels per acre.

Bruce and Jeremy Benson in Hopkins County recorded a yield of 91.84 bushels per acre. Scott Kuegel of Daviess County had a yield of 80 bushels per acre and placed second in the category. The Kentucky Soybean Board will induct the men into the 80 Bushel Club for double-crop soybeans.

All yield and quality contest winners were recognized at the recent Kentucky Commodity Conference in Bowling Green.

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