Grower input to be sought at Dec. 20 soybean gall midge meeting

December 12, 2018

Lincoln, Neb. — Growers who dealt with soybean gall midge infestations in 2018 and those who are interested in learning more about this newly emerging soybean pest are invited to attend a roundtable discussion on Thursday, December 20. The Nebraska Extension program will be from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the University of Nebraska Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center at 1071 County Road G, Ithaca.

In the 2018 growing season there was a significant increase in reports from consultants, growers, and extension educators of dying soybean plants associated with soybean gall midge infestations in eastern Nebraska fields.

"These infestations were much earlier (late June) than what was seen in the past," said Justin McMechan, Nebraska Extension crop protection and cropping systems specialist. "So we are concerned about the significant yield losses these infestations could present in soybean fields."

McMechan and other UNL entomologists are conducting research on soybean gall midge at the University of Nebraska Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center near Mead. Based on 2018 observations, researchers are initiating research plans for 2019. McMechan and others plan to monitor soybean gall midge emergence and evaluate management practices such as planting date and insecticide use.

He said the roundtable session will provide an opportunity to share University findings and learn from grower experience.

"We want to know what growers saw and connect them with some potential tools for making management decisions in 2019," McMechan said.

"We are interested in finding out what did and did not work for growers, as far as management practices (such as planting date, maturity group, insecticides, adjacent crop, tillage, etc.). Grower input is critical to help guide our research efforts on this rapidly developing pest of soybean."

Registration is from 8:30-9 a.m. "Soybean Gall Midge: Overview, Management, and Impact" will be presented from 9-9:45 a.m. followed by the roundtable discussion until 11 a.m. A summary of the discussion will conclude the program.

Information is available online at https://extension.unl.edu/statewide/enre/soymidgeroundtable/. Please RSVP by Monday, Dec. 17 by calling 402-624-8030.

For more information, email McMechan at justin.mcmechan@unl.edu or Extension Educator Keith Glewen at kglewen1@unl.edu, or call (402) 624-8030 or (800) 529-8030.