DEFINING EFFICACY WINDOWS FOR NEONICOTINOID SEED TREATMENTS: A SURVEY OF EARLY-SEASON FIELD CROP PESTS

This integrated project addresses the core objective of the CARE Program, which is to: "Develop and implement solutions to critical producer problems associated with animal and crop production, protection, or product quality." Attention generated by recent studies reporting negative influences of neonicotinoid insecticides on animals and water quality in agroecosystems clearly defines a critical problem in crop production. This recent work emphasizes need for a better understanding of the value and utility of these pest management tools. We propose to characterize the control growers can expect from neonicotinoid seed treatments (NSTs) and the threat to crops posed by key soybean pests that these insecticides target, then we will share this information with farmers.NSTs are among the most widely used insecticides in history because seed-based delivery provides convenience and potential for protection from a suite of pests that are typically not controlled otherwise; however, NSTs are used almost entirely outside an IPM framework and populations of these pests are often too small to be economically damaging. Our project aims to conduct field studies to provide new information to better characterize when these powerful pest management tools can be useful. We seek to understand their value to soybean producers in the upper Midwest, with a larger goal of harmonizing NST with IPM. Importantly, our research has support of NRCS and will be conducted in collaboration with soybean growers.