July 2025 Central Issue

North Central IPM Center Updates

Stay informed with the latest news from the Center with the stories below. Be sure to share your favorites!

Webinar Recording: Soybean Aphids are Resistant to Pyrethroids, Now What?

Soybean aphid resistance to pyrethroids was first confirmed in Iowa in 2015. Dr. Matt O’Neal, professor at Iowa State University, and his research team have been working to track resistant populations and find ways to manage them in soybean crops. In recent research trials, Dr. O’Neal’s team assessed soybean aphid populations before and after spraying and saw no significant population reduction. Some aphid populations even increased! It’s important for farmers to know that spraying pyrethroids may actually make soybean aphid populations worse by killing predators instead of aphids. Farmers need other ways to manage aphids. One good option is planting soybean varieties that have “resistance against Aphis glycines” (RAG) genes. As long as at least two RAG genes are present, the soybean variety will have good protection from soybean aphids.

Updated Diagnostic Series for Pulse Crops

The Pulse Crop Working Group has updated four diagnostic card sets related to managing diseases in pulse crops. Check out these updated publications, and be sure to mention them to pulse farmers in your area.

• • Chickpea Disease Diagnostic Series 
  • Pea Disease Diagnostic Series
  • Lentil Disease Diagnostic Series
  • Dry Edible Bean Diagnostic Series

Check out the Pulse Crops Working Group website for more information about growing pulses.

Integrated Pest Management: State Infrastructure Status After 50 Years of Federal Support (1973 to 2023)

Integrated pest management has been around for 50 years–what progress has been made? A recent article called, “Integrated Pest Management: State Infrastructure Status After 50 Years of Federal Support (1973 to 2023),” was published in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management. It summarizes integrated pest management funding, successes and limitations. Results show that a large collaborative network of integrated pest management (IPM) specialists is essential for addressing threats to food security and human health caused by existing and emerging insects, diseases and weeds. While each state has an IPM program, there’s potential to increase efficiency and impacts by implementing a unified vision with stable funding support.

Sunflower Pathologists Protect Sunflower Yields: Center Impacts

Healthy sunflowers produce the best yields, but in the past, sunflower diseases were not well understood. Using funding from the North Central IPM Center and NIFA’s Crop Protection and Pest Management Program, the Sunflower Pathology Working Group was formed in 2013. This new team of experts identified disease management strategies and created publications to help farmers manage sunflower diseases. Check out this short impact summary to learn more about these resources, how they protect the products that consumers enjoy and how sunflower production supports local farms and rural communities. Please amplify our Center’s efforts by sharing this success on your social media. We already have active posts on LinkedIn and X.

New Episodes—I See Dead Plants Podcasts

• Taxonomic Tumult: Cercospora Species and Soybean Diseases Part 1 Interviewee: Dr. Vinson Doyle from Louisiana State University
• Taxonomic Tumult: Cercospora Species and Soybean Diseases Part 2 Interviewee: Dr. Vinson Doyle from Louisiana State University
• Smells Like Trouble: A Stinkbug Overview Part 1 Interviewee: Zach Schumm from the Iowa State University Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic
• Smells Like Trouble: A Stinkbug Overview Part 2 Interviewee: Zach Schumm from the Iowa State University Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic