Answers are from the Indiana certified crop adviser panel: Betsy Bower, Purdue Extension senior research associate, West Lafayette; Abby Horlacher, Nickel Plate Consulting, Frankfort; and Brian Mitchem, Farmer 1st Agronomy Consulting Services, Decatur.

 

Are there insects or diseases I should scout for once beans are in the pod, or is it a waste of time? What can I learn that late in the season?

 

Bower: There are certainly seasons where pod-feeding and even late-season leaf-feeding insects can do a lot of damage and affect yield and soybean quality. The insects to watch out for are bean leaf beetles with pod and leaf feeding, stinkbugs with pod feeding, Japanese beetles with leaf feeding, and grasshoppers with pod and leaf feeding. Be sure to check that insect levels are at economic thresholds.

 

We sometimes give up on scouting soybeans too early. Late in the season, you certainly can learn which insects are in your soybeans. That can guide your scouting next year. You can also get a feel for disease pressure, potential soybean cyst nematode or sudden death syndrome issues, etc. Additionally, keep an eye on pod load and start prioritizing fields for harvest.

 

Horlacher: You can always learn. Sometimes, that means learning for the next growing season. Key insects to look for are bean leaf beetles, stinkbugs and grasshoppers. These insects can cause damage to the pod. If you see excess feeding to pods, call your agronomist to do a net sweep to see if insecticide is warranted.

 

For most diseases, you need to spray sooner to prevent spread. But it is good to scout to know what to look for next year. Common diseases are stem blight, cercospora purple seed stain and white mold. Expect white mold symptoms to be more likely in fields in northern Indiana.

 

Mitchem: By early seed formation in pods, there is minimal impact from foliar diseases on yield. However, there is always value in scouting and noting specific varieties and fields with both foliar and root diseases.

 

Root diseases such as SDS, brown stem rot and red crown rot can be identified by looking at or just below the lower stem and crown just below the soil surface. Foliar diseases like frogeye leaf spot should be noted as well. White mold has become a bigger issue recently. Look for patches of dead plants with damaged stems and hard, black structures called sclerotia. Less common diseases like charcoal rot, anthracnose and diaporthe stem blight might be identified. Work with local Purdue Extension staff and send samples to the Purdue diagnostic lab for positive identification.

 

Late-season insects like bean leaf beetles and stinkbugs can chew and pierce pods, causing yield loss and quality issues in beans. Rarely have we had to apply late insecticide for these pests, but localized outbreaks can occur. Stinkbugs in heavy populations have done considerable late-season damage to soybeans in some areas of the state. They are a hard-to-control pest when they are adults. Consult labels for control options and the harvest interval from a late-season insecticide application if there is an economic need for treatment.