By Blake Jackson
Extension educators from Penn State have submitted eight scouting reports this week from fields in ten Pennsylvania counties, offering insights into soybean crop health during the R2 to R5 growth stages from late flowering through pod development.
These updates, part of the Soybean Sentinel Plot Program, reveal generally low pest populations and minimal disease pressure across the state.
Scouting reports have noted occasional damage from deer in some regions, with insect activity mostly at low severity levels. Common insect pests currently observed include Japanese beetles, grasshoppers, and green cloverworms all typical for this point in the growing season. Additionally, sightings of Mexican bean beetle have been reported in the southern counties.
On the disease front, the reports show low but increasing presence of downy mildew, frogeye leaf spot, and Septoria brown spot all seasonal and expected. Growers are reminded to scout their own fields for site-specific activity, as pest and disease pressure can vary.
This statewide surveillance effort is funded by the Pennsylvania Soybean Promotion Board and managed by Penn State’s Department of Entomology in partnership with Penn State Extension.
About 25 representative soybean fields in approximately 20 counties are scouted regularly to monitor pest and disease presence.
The program aims to help growers anticipate what they might see in their own fields as part of their integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. However, the data provided is not intended to justify pesticide use.
For example, in Lebanon County, pests such as grasshoppers, green cloverworm, and soybean aphids were found at low severity (rated 1 out of 10), with beneficial insects like braconid wasps and lady beetles present.
Similar findings came from Centre, Northumberland, Columbia, Butler, and Beaver Counties, where insect and disease presence was minimal. Notably, white-tailed deer damage was slightly higher (rated 3) in Butler and Beaver Counties.
Beneficial insect activity, including lady beetles, spiders, fireflies, and bumble bees, was commonly noted across the monitored sites, suggesting a healthy balance of natural predators.
These reports are shared weekly via Penn State Extension’s newsletter and can be accessed online by searching “soybean sentinel plot” on their website.
Photo Credit: pexels-tudsaput-eusawas
Categories: Pennsylvania, Crops, Soybeans