Poster Display
Plant-Insect Ecosystems
James P. Menger (he/him/his)
Researcher
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Arthur Vieira Ribeiro
Post-Doctoral Associate
University of Minnesota
Falcon Heights, Minnesota
Robert Koch
University of Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Soybean tentiform leafminer, Macrosaccus morrisella (Fitch), is a tiny leaf-mining moth native to North America. Historically, M. morrisella has been known to feed on two native legumes, American hogpeanut, Amphicarpaea bracteata (L.) Fernald and sickleseed fuzzybean, Strophostyles leiosperma (Torr. & A. Gray) Piper. Beginning in 2016, reports began to surface in Quebec, Canada of M. morrisella feeding on soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr. First reports of M. morrisella feeding on soybean in the US were made in Minnesota in 2021. The impacts on soybean yield in response to larval M. morrisella feeding have not been investigated. In this study we will infest caged field plots in a soybean field in St. Paul, MN with adult M. morrisella reared in a laboratory colony at varying densities and evaluate the amount of leaf area injured as well as the impact on soybean yield. This work will provide a foundation for the development of treatment thresholds for this potential emerging pest of soybean.