Soybean Leafminer in Soybean
Crop Damage: Soybean leafminers (Odontota horni) occur in the Great Plains, Midwest, and southern states of the U.S. They are considered a sporadic soybean pest. Soybean leafminer larvae feed between the upper and lower leaf surfaces, creating near-transparent blotch-like mines with brown centers. Adult beetles feed on tender leaf tissue, causing ragged holes or a skeletonized appearance. Adults may also transmit the bean pod mottle virus.
Soybean leafminer larva inside a leaf mine.
Gerald Holms, Strawberry Center, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Bugwood.org
Pest Description: Soybean leafminer larvae are 1/8 inches long and cream-colored with dark heads. Adults are ¼ inches long with black heads and antennae. Adults have a red thorax and forewings, with a central dorsal black stripe that starts at the junction of the thorax and abdomen. The stripe tapers towards the end of the forewings.
Soybean leafminer adult.
Adam Sisson, Iowa State University
Scouting: Scout from soybean emergence (VE) through the start of blooming (R1). Inspect field edges for signs of larval mining, irregular holes, or skeletonized leaves. If high numbers of adults are present, select random locations throughout the field that accurately represent the level of infestation. At each site, assess the level of defoliation and count the number of adults per row foot.
Management: In seedling plants, consider an insecticide application if there are nine soybean leafminer adults per row foot. Spot insecticide applications may be sufficient. The thresholds for soybean defoliation are 30% in the vegetative stages and 20% in the reproductive stages. Use the Crop Protection Network’s Insect Defoliation Tool to help correctly assess the level of defoliation. If the presence of bean pod mottle virus is suspected, contact local or state specialists.
Developed and reviewed by Carol Pilcher, Iowa State University and Robert Wright, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with support from the United Soybean Board.
Soybean leafminer larva inside a leaf mine. Photo by Gerald Holms, Strawberry Center, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Bugwood.org.
Soybean leafminer adult. Photo by Adam Sisson, Iowa State University.
Gallery images courtesy Gerald Holms, Strawberry Center, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Bugwood.org and Adam Sisson, Iowa State University.
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