Use of planting date to avoid injury from soybean insect pests

Seedcorn maggots (SCM) and bean leafbeetles (BLB) can substantially reduce soybean grain yield in Iowa and surrounding states. SCM feed on germinating seeds and the growing tips of seedlings, resulting in reduced stands and abnormal plants. Adult bean leaf beetles feed mostly on leaves and pods, with the most serious losses caused by pod feeding. Pod lesions caused by the beetles allow excess moisture and secondary plant disease organ­ isms to enter the pod, causing seed shriveling and discoloration. As a result, seed weight and quality are reduced. The pod feeding problem has increased in severity since the early 1980s, making the bean leaf beetle the most economi­ cally important insect pest on soybeans in Iowa