Bedbugs, whiteflies and other pests cause losses of more than 50% in soybean production

Stink bugs, characterized as brown stink bug and green-bellied stink bug, and whiteflies are identified by researchers as the main pests of soybeans today and can cause losses of more than 50% in production.

According to the entomologist, Clerison Perini, stink bugs can cause losses from the formation of vegetables to the harvest of soybeans, this period being critical for monitoring and controlling these populations. “Even with the grains dry and ready to be harvested, the damage can be high as a single puncture in the grain serves as an entry point for moisture, making the seed unviable. This is what happened in this last harvest, due to frequent rains and the impossibility of harvesting”, emphasizes Clerison, researcher at Proteplan.

Although many insects begin to damage soybeans at the beginning of the crop's development, the entomologist also draws attention to pests that affect the reproductive period. According to him, in addition to stink bugs, whiteflies cause direct damage, due to suction feeding on plant sap, and indirect damage, due to the formation of sooty mold on the leaf, which reduces the photosynthetic rate, or through the transmission of viruses. “This last damage is often silent and the producer does not notice it in the soybean plants due to the characteristic of some cultivars of not expressing the symptoms of the virus”, he explains.

To help producers combat these pests, Clerison explains that one of the bases of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is knowing the Economic Damage Levels (NDE) of insects and phytophagous mites, in order to predict the maximum density of pests. that the producer can support on the farm. “Regarding bedbugs and some caterpillars, it has already been well studied. However, for whiteflies, there is still no consensus on the potential for productivity loss in soybeans. Thus, some research into the NDE of whiteflies and an assessment of infestation levels in different soybean cultivars were initiated, seeking to have an average number of whitefly nymphs per leaflet that the producer can tolerate without incurring losses.”

Other pests that also threaten planting

The producer needs to be aware of the caterpillars that cut the plants and/or damage the apical trefoil and bore the stem, with the defoliating coleoptera that cut the leaves and parts of the plant and also with the curculionids that consume leaves and petioles.

For agronomist and consultant, Guilherme Ohl, in addition to biotechnologies and chemical insecticides, biological products also serve as tools for integrated pest management. Regarding application, the specialist recommends the use of specific and reliable insecticides, in addition to management strategies that take into account the production system and not just the soybean crop.

Regarding this multiple strategy to combat pests, Clerison explains that although the use of the biological control method is still low, mainly due to commercial unavailability - compared to chemical control which has numerous products - the growth of the sector, which is around 30% per year, it will make inputs available to producers who are looking for this tool.

Other information about the results of research carried out in the 20/21 harvest with a focus on the management and control of soybean pests (whiteflies and stink bugs) will be presented by researchers Clerison Perini, Guilherme Ohl and Professor Jerson Guedes during the Master Circuit Meeting Soja, this Thursday (27/05), at 19:30 pm (Brasília time), free of charge, on the Youtube channel of Proteplan, an agricultural research company from Mato Grosso.