Managing Soybean Defoliators

Soybean defoliation is one of the most readily observed types of insect injury to soybean and can occur from emergence to harvest. A complex of insects defoliate soybean in Nebraska. These include bean leaf beetle, imported longhorned weevil, grasshoppers, woollybear caterpillar, thistle caterpillar, green cloverworm, and a few others. Rarely does any single species reach population levels that defoliate soybean enough to cause economic damage, but the combined injury of two or more defoliating insects can cause economic loss. In making soybean pest management decisions about defoliating insects, a crucial consideration is the size of the remaining soybean canopy and the stage of growth.