Beck’s Practical Farm Research (PFR)® studies have consistently proven the value of making foliar fungicide applications to soybeans at the R3 growth stage. I am often asked if there is value in adding an insecticide to this treatment. Many of the the late-season soybean pests we deal with are very good at hiding in the dense canopies of soybean fields, which makes it difficult for us to be aware of their presence until after they have caused yield loss.

The soybean Podworm (SPW) (Helicoverpa zea) feeds on many different grain and vegetable crops in much of the United States. SPW has many different names depending on which crop it is feeding on. These names include cotton bollworm, tomato fruitworm, sorghum headworm, and most commonly corn earworm. Often SPW is a soybean pest of the southern US; however, depending on several factors, this species can become a problem in soybean fields further north and east, making its presence felt in areas where it isn’t usually an economic pest.

Agronomists get many calls during a typical growing season when things aren't going right in corn and soybean fi elds in the geographies that we cover. Most of the time, problems are caused by common diseases or insects. Sometimes, though, we receive calls about damage to plants that is caused by uncommon pests.