As part of the ISRC’s yearlong, 10^th anniversary celebration and education and outreach program, the center will be sponsoring select seminar speakers to present at Iowa State University on a variety of soybean-related topics. On Tuesday, April 2^nd from 3-4pm, Justin McMechan, assistant professor of crop protection and cropping systems at the University of Nebraska, will present on “Soybean Gall Midge: Understanding Risk and Management Options” as part of ISU’s Department of Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology spring seminar series. The seminar will be held in room 1330 of the Advanced Teaching and Research Building and will also be available via Zoom. 

McMechan provided the following background information. Soybean gall midge was recently discovered as a new species and an economically significant soybean pest in the Midwestern U.S. Since its discovery in 2019, it has been found in 164 counties across seven states. Under heavy infestations, feeding from the larvae has the potential to result in a near complete loss of yield for the first 100 feet along the field edge, with an average yield loss of 18-31% on an entire field. As a new species, several gaps exist in its biology as well as practical management strategies. This presentation will provide the latest information on the biology, hosts, scouting and potential management tactics for soybean gall midge.

Check out this recent video on Justin's work at the University of Nebraska.

Recent article: Management technique shows promise against emerging soybean pest