Soybean Yield Loss to Insects In The Mid-Southern U.S.

Survey-based soybean yield losses to insects are estimated annually in several southern US states.  These estimates are collected through informal telephone or written survey queries to crop consultants and extension personnel who actively scout soybean fields and assist growers in making insect control decisions. Production losses are based on estimates of yield in the absence of insects. Acreage and price data are from NASS. Insect loss and cost data for insect management are from No. 1 issues of 2012-2015 Midsouth Entomologist. Details of each year’s survey and results are in the aforementioned issues of  Midsouth Entomologist.

Below are summary results from this survey for the 2011-2014 period in indicated midsouthern states.





Economic losses attributed to insects (yield lost to insects + insect management costs) in the combined four states that were calculated using the commodity prices shown in Table 1 ranged from $407.7 million in 2013 to $521.3 million in 2012.

During the 2011-2014 period, Arkansas had the largest percentage yield loss to insects of the four states, and had the highest insect control costs/acre in 3 of the 4 years (Table 1).

During the 2011-2014 period, yield losses to insects in Mississippi ranged from 2.77% (2014) to 4.78% in 2011. Economic losses attributed to insects (yield lost to insects + insect management costs) in Mississippi ranged from $46.45/acre in 2014 to $59.42/acre in 2013 (Table 1).

During the 2011-2014 period, economic losses to insect damage plus costs for applied control measures in Mississippi ranged from $100.8 million in 2011 to $118.2 million in 2013 (Table 1).

In the 2011-2014 growing seasons, the most damaging pests in each state are shown in Table 2.

• In Arkansas, armyworm complex, corn earworm, soybean looper, and stink bugs were the
  prominent damaging insects in most years. Bean leaf beetle was prominent in 2013 and
  2014, and bean leaf beetle and dectes stem borer were prominent in 2014.


• In Louisiana, soybean looper and stink bugs were prominent in all years. Corn earworm
  was prominent only in 2011.


• In Mississippi, corn earworm and soybean looper were prominent in all years. Stink bugs
  were prominent in 2012-2014. Either green cloverworm or velvetbean caterpillar had a
  significant presence in all years.


• In Tennessee, stink bugs were prominent in all years. Corn earworm was prominent only
  in 2011. Soybean looper was not prominent in any of the 4 years.

The above estimates and summary points result in the following important tenets for insect
management in the Midsouth soybean crop.

• Insects pose a constant threat to soybean production in the midsouthern US.


• Each Midsouth state had consistently prominent species across the 4 years, but all years
  had varied pests that were problematic in a given year and required management to prevent
  yield losses.


• The consistent presence of several of the damaging insect species across all years
  underlines the importance of resistance management when control measures are selected
  each year. Where possible, insecticidal chemistries should be rotated when targeting the
  same pest year after year.  Click here for additional information.

 

Composed by Larry G. Heatherly, Aug. 2015, larryheatherly@bellsouth.net