Controlling Late-Season Redbanded Stink Bug Infestations in Soybean
ISSN 2158-9429
Volume 19, Issue 1 - June 2026
Editor: Bindu Poudel-Ward
Foster, M., Assistant Professor , LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station
Orgeron, A., Professor, LSU AgCenter Sugar Research Station
Abstract
The redbanded stink bug [Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood)] is a major pest of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] throughout the Mid-South and is currently the most economically important stink bug pest of soybean in Louisiana. Extension entomologists recommend controlling threshold populations until soybean maturity. To validate this recommendation, experiments were conducted in soybean fields in Franklin and Vacherie, LA in 2020 to evaluate the effect of tank-mixing insecticide with paraquat as a harvest aid on redbanded stink bug control, soybean yield, and soybean damage. At both sites, the inclusion of insecticide with paraquat significantly reduced redbanded stink bug density, however, no differences in soybean yield were observed. At the Franklin site, where initial redbanded stink bug populations were above the action threshold, soybean damage was 10.7% when paraquat was applied alone and was significantly lower (1.8-4.2%) when insecticide was included with paraquat. At the Vacherie site, where initial redbanded stink bug populations were below the action threshold, soybean damage was equivalent (1.5-1.7%) for all treatments. This research shows that soybean seed quality can be preserved by controlling late-season redbanded stinkbug infestations that are above the action threshold.
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