By Blake Jackson
The Pennsylvania Soybean Promotion Board is once again supporting the Soybean Sentinel Plot Program this growing season. This initiative, managed by the Department of Entomology at Penn State and implemented by Penn State Extension, involves monitoring around 20 representative soybean fields throughout the state.
These fields are planted with untreated soybean seeds and do not receive any preventative applications of insecticides or fungicides.
Penn State Extension Educators will regularly scout these fields to document the presence and levels of plant diseases and insect pests.
The purpose of this effort is to give farmers and the agricultural community statewide insight into which pests are active, helping them anticipate what they may encounter in their own fields. These reports are intended as informational tools and should not be used as justification for pesticide applications.
Over the past 13 years, data from more than 240 soybean fields across Pennsylvania show that the majority do not experience pest or disease pressure that justifies pesticide use.
While every field does contain some level of insect pests and plant pathogens, very few have reached economic thresholds where treatment is necessary. In fact, only three fields over that entire period required insecticide applications.
These findings highlight the potential cost savings for growers who avoid routine pesticide applications and instead rely on integrated pest management (IPM) strategies.
IPM encourages farmers to make decisions based on actual field conditions rather than applying pesticides as a precaution. For those interested in adopting this approach, Penn State Extension offers detailed fact sheets and guidance on IPM for soybeans.
Photo Credit: istock-sandramatic
Categories: Pennsylvania, Crops, Soybeans