Soybean Pests Targeting Northwest Missouri Fields

A new pest known to feast on soybean plants has been detected in two Northwest Missouri counties, prompting University of Missouri Extension experts to sound the alarm. Field crop entomologist Kevin Rice describes the danger that soybean gall midges pose to our fields.

 

Rice says because the midge is a relatively new pest, not much is known about it or how to contain its spread.

 

MU Extension entomologist Kevin Rice says support from the North Central Soybean Research Program is making possible efforts to identify ways to control soybean gall midge. The pest was first detected in 2011 in Nebraska and has since made its way into Iowa, Minnesota and the Dakotas.