MSU Doctoral Candidate to Study Insect Defoliation in Soybeans

Mississippi soy checkoff funds fellowship to refine insect economic thresholds

CANTON (Sept. 2, 2014) - Mississippi soybean farmers lost more than $42 million to defoliating insects in 2013. This type of damage causes more economic loss for the state’s soybean farmers than any other. For this reason, the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board (MSPB) recently awarded the Ed Hester Soybean Doctoral Fellowship at Mississippi State University (MSU) to Benjamin Thrash, who plans to research and help refine economic threshold recommendations for insect defoliation.

“Hopefully my research will help farmers have a better idea of when insecticides are necessary and when they aren’t, so they aren’t unnecessarily spending money to control pests,” says Thrash, who officially began his tenure as a doctoral student at MSU earlier this month.

Even though current threshold recommendations exist for soybean pests, Thrash says those thresholds can be refined even further.

“Defoliation doesn’t happen all at once,” he explains. “Usually you’ll get some throughout the growing season.”

Part of his research will examine how defoliation of the plant throughout the growing season affects yield. He also seeks to determine if that total affects the plant more or less than defoliation occurring at one point in the plant’s growth. Finally, he’ll study how differences in defoliation between dryland and irrigated soybeans may affect plant growth and yield.

MSPB continues to support the educational development of soybean scientists, especially in the area of production agronomy. It recognizes the importance of public researchers to the success of the soybean industry in the state.

Thrash says working within the public sector after he completes his degree is a definite possibility. “I really like conducting research. At this time, I would like the opportunity to go into the extension system and conduct applied research on row crops when I am finished.”

MSPB named the fellowship in honor of Benoit, Mississippi, soybean farmer Ed Hester, past president of the Mississippi Soybean Association and a leader in soybean production in the state.

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MSPB is made up of 12 farmer-directors who oversee the investments of the soy checkoff on behalf of all Mississippi soybean farmers. These volunteers work to increase soybean farmer profitability by investing checkoff dollars in ongoing public research and extension programs that address Mississippi production challenges, thereby driving the adoption of best management practices developed through research and ensuring the sustainability of Mississippi soybean production.  

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