In the Furrow
Status of Soybean Crop
By Will Duffie County Extension Coordinator

Where in Burke County could you find thousands of insects in a single location? Well, take a stop in one of the many soybean fields in Burke County. Soybeans tend to be a haven for a multitude of insect life. Many of these insects eat plant tissue, while others are chasing other insects.

Burke County soybean producers are urged to take time each week and scout fields for damaging pests such as earworms, loopers, armyworms, velvetbean caterpillars, and stink bugs. Scouting is best done by using the old fashioned shake cloth. Treat on an as needed basis.

Historical data indicate that the probability for treating foliage feeding caterpillars in soybeans is high in the Coastal Plain of Georgia. Dimilin is an insect growth regulator with long residual that typically provides control of green cloverworm and velvetbean caterpillar for the remainder of the season when applications are properly timed. Dimilin will not control soybean loopers so fields will still need to be scouted for loopers and pod feeding insect pests such as stink bugs, corn earworms, and fall armyworms.

The optimal time to apply Dimilin is from full bloom to early pod-fill (R2-R3 Stages). All soybean leaves should be developed when Dimilin is applied as a preventative treatment. If treatment is made too early, there will be untreated/unprotected leaves in the upper canopy. Dimilin is commonly applied in a tank-mix with Boron for yield enhancement.

The arrival of soybean rust in the fall of 2004 has altered disease management in soybeans. Thus far in 2007 rust has not been on the move in Georgia. There is the remote possibility that soybean rust could affect a commercial field before it is detected in sentinel plots. Management of rust is best achieved by applying fungicides before rust is established in a field. Once rust is detected in a field, it becomes more difficult, or even impossible to control if infection is severe enough.

Downy mildew of soybean is being found in many fields across the county. Downy mildew is easily identified as yellow spots on leaves with a characteristic tuft of fungal growth on the underside of each spot. The soybean crop will need to be protected with fungicides until it reaches the R6, mature seed, growth stage. Growers need to be monitoring fields closely. For more information on fungicide use for soybean rust contact the Burke County Extension Office at (706) 554- 2119.