Location: Southern Insect Management Research
Project Number: 6066-22000-090-011-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2023
End Date: Aug 31, 2026
Objective:
Investigate the trophic level interactions involved in stink bug-soybean looper co-infestation in soybean crops. Our research will evaluate the co-infestation rates of stink bugs and soybean looper and how does early infestation by one species affect the feeding and survival of the second herbivore.
Approach:
In this research we will be using stink bugs and soybean looper as our model herbivores, and we will be studying 1) the co-infestation rate of stink bugs and soybean looper; 2) Understand how early infestation by one species affect infestation by the second herbivore; 3) Investigate how commercially grown soybean varieties respond to co-infestation; 4) Study how the primary and secondary plant metabolites of soybean covary due to differential herbivore infestation. We will use a combination of field experiments, lab-based bio assays, and analytical chemistry based metabolic profiling to answer these objectives.
