Soybean Pest Podcast

Today, Matt talks about a "farminar" with PFI (Practical Farmers of Iowa) he recently recorded. It was about neonic seed treatments in soybean. Watch the archived version here: http://practicalfarmers.org/farmer-knowledge/farminar-archive/neonicotinoid-seed-treatments-are-they-necessary/. Then Erin mentioned Pollinator Fest this summer is happening on Saturday, June 25 in Ames. But the majority of the time was spent interviewing an incoming post-doc, Matt Kaiser. He will start in Matt's lab this summer and work on a new parasitoid wasp that attacks soybean aphid. He reviews wasp biology and talks about how this new tool can help suppress soybean aphids in Iowa. 

Today in this podcast, Matt and Erin talk about a new publication summarizing insecticide evaluations for soybean aphid. The Yellow Book for soybean aphid starting in 2005 in response to a growing demand to manage this invasive pest. Matt was up for the challenge and passed the torch to Erin in 2009. Now the evaluations are at 2 ISU Research Farms and include 25+ treatments annually. You can access all the Yellow Books FREE on their lab website: http://www.ent.iastate.edu/soybeanresearch/content/extension. 

Matt and Erin have a special guest on this podcast to help understand life cycle assessments. Dr. Kurt Rosentrater is an engineer and associate professor at Iowa State. Kurt explained the basics of conducting a life cycle assessment, including assumptions and resulting complications that come with this tool. They focused on a recent example looking at environmental impacts in four major crops. Here is the link to the paper so you can follow along with figures: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iop/erl/2015/00000010/00000009/art094016. The assessment showed freshwater ecotoxicity impact in soybean increased 3-fold from 2002 to 2012. The authors claimed the insecticides used to control soybean aphid was an important factor. Corn, cotton and wheat did not have a significant increase of impact over the study duration. Learn more about Kurt's research and teaching program here: http://www.abe.iastate.edu/kurt-a-rosentrater-assistant-professor/. 

Today, Matt and Erin talk about EPA's review of a popular neonic called imidacloprid. This and other active neonic ingredients have been blamed for declines in honey bee health. They share their thoughts on implications for cancellation, bee health and non-target insects. 

In this episode, Matt and Erin talk about the recent news of Dow AgroSciences and Dupont merging and possibly becoming three companies. Also, Erin talks about Crop Advantage Series, a reoccurring event for the ISU Crops Team. You can find more information, including dates, locations, speakers and more here: http://www.aep.iastate.edu/cas/.

Matt and Erin recap a presentation made at ICM Conference this week. Bob Koch (University of Minnesota) talked about bifenthrin failures to soybean aphid in southern Minnesota in 2015. He performed bioassays and detected resistance. The level of resistance was low, but provides the first example of this pest overcoming a pyrethroid in the field. Bob's ICM proceedings article summarizes highlights how resistance happens and strategies for prolonging insecticide efficacy. Find the proceedings free here: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ (search for publication AEP 0302 - 2015, pages 75-76). 

In this episode, Matt and Erin summarize a symposium they moderated at the national ESA meeting in Minneapolis. The topic was about the cost and benefits of neonic seed treatments from several different perspectives. 

Today, Matt and Erin talk about the recent EPA proposal to revoke all tolerances to chlorpyrifos. This insecticide is an option in corn and soybean in Iowa and restricting or removing the use could have potential implications for field crop pest management. Matt shares a paper that shows a decrease of chlorpyrifos in corn but relatively steady use in soybean (doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/9/094016). He isn't sure if revoking the use would have an immediate impact, but Erin offers a Coke analogy to say otherwise. To learn more about the EPA proposal and leave a comment, go here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-11-06/pdf/2015-28083.pdf. 

Today, Matt and Erin talk about the upcoming ESA meeting (Entomological Society of America) in Minneapolis next month. It's not too late to register for the meeting: http://entsoc.org/entomology2015. Matt also highlights an upcoming seminar about monarch butterflies in the ISU entomology department.  Dr. Meron Zalucki, University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, Australia, is presenting on November 9. Come to listen in person or watch at your convenience here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyJpsN5fR8Ia2WJNllyvB1Q. The ISU Monarch Consortium is hosting Dr. Zalucki and have other research and outreach projects: http://monarch.ent.iastate.edu/.

Today, Matt breaks down a technical publication to Erin. This study evaluated the effect a lady beetle had on diamondback moth  in Bt broccoli. Turns out, the presence of natural enemies can slow down the rate of Bt resistance. They talk about implications for this research in Iowa, specifically for corn rootworm in corn. Read the full article here: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0090366. 

In this episode, Matt starts by sharing some of the night life stops in Dubuque, Iowa. Erin talks about common nuisance invaders moving into homes during this extended fall weather. Learn more about how to manage these pests here: http://bit.ly/1P3KcX2. For most of the time, Matt and Erin talk about a recent editorial letter in Nature Biotechnology (October 2015). The author(s) share a story of a recent scientist that accepted funding from industry and the unexpected implications from the public. Read the letter here: http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v33/n10/full/nbt.3384.html.

Today, Matt and Erin comment on a recent letter to the editor about too many "bees" on the ISU campus (see letter here: http://bit.ly/1LNbQGS). They talk about the real culprit, yellowjacket wasps, and why they may seem more abundant this year. Matt and Erin review the differences between bees and wasps, and why we probably don't have too many bees. 

Today, Matt and Erin ask our 2015 Gunderson Memorial Lecture speaker, Dr. Dominic Reisig, a few questions about his research and extension program. Dominic is a field crop entomologist at North Carolina State University and has a wide range of responsibilities, for pest management including corn, soybean, cotton and wheat. Topics include stink bugs, kudzu bug, caterpillars (like Old World bollworm and corn earworm), and even soybean aphid. 

In this episode, Matt and Erin break down a recent ruling to vacate the unconditional registration of sulfoxaflor. In other words, the EPA registration for sulfoxaflor, in products like Transform and Seeker, was overruled in U.S. court.  Read more about the court decision here: http://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/files/sulfoxaflor-opinion.pdf Read more about why EPA approved the registration of sulfoxaflor here: http://pesticides.supportportal.com/link/portal/23002/23008/Article/35618/Why-did-EPA-register-sulfoxaflor-I-heard-it-harms-bees Learn more about insecticide groups here: http://www.irac-online.org/documents/moa-classification/

In this episode, Matt and Erin transition from providing weekly field crop pest updates to other topics of interest. They discuss the new assessment form provided by the Xerces Society to help farmers understand the value of beneficial insect conservation. Find the form here: http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/HAG_BeneficialInsects_June2015_web.pdf

In this episode, Matt and Erin talk about end-of-season soybean aphid populations in Iowa. Matt also shares results from a recent CCA poll from ISU Sociologist J. Arbuckle. He summarizes perceptions about emerging concerns in agriculture. 

Today is the first day of school at Iowa State and campus is buzzing. Matt and Erin talk about persisting soybean aphid populations in Iowa and why fields need to be scouted. If you have questions or ideas for sharing podcasts, please contact them (oneal@iastate.edu or ewh@iastate.edu).

If a soybean aphids could talk, I would imagine them screaming, " Stop touching me!". Many Iowan fields are infested with soybean aphid this summer. Erin and Matt talk about what to do when these increasing populations happen late in the season. A short conversation about aphids in corn also happens. Finally, they get diverted and talk about winged aphid formation based on several cues, like touching and predators. 

In this episode, Matt and Erin start by talking about foliar insecticide sprays for soybean aphid. Erin has a large efficacy evaluation program and screens many different products every year. She publishes the results in a Yellow Book (see previous editions here: http://www.ent.iastate.edu/soybeanresearch/content/extension). Then Matt talks a bit about corn rootworm biology and why that might be important in Iowa soybean. 

In this podcast, Matt and Erin talk about recent aphid developments in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. Soybean aphid numbers are steadily climbing and aphids in corn are making a rare appearance this year. Foliar insecticides are starting to happen to protect yield. Also, Matt recently attended a USDA Corn Climate Change grant meeting and summarizes recent applied and modeling data for future corn production.