By Linda Geist
University of Missouri Extension state crops entomologist Ivair Valmorbida has confirmed the presence of a new soybean pest in Missouri.
Valmorbida confirmed soybean tentiform leafminer in central Missouri soybean fields in the first week of August. MU Extension agronomist Todd Lorenz was present in the field when the pest was found. MU Extension specialists found in the insect in only one of more than 70 fields sampled so far, but its presence is concerning, says Valmorbida.
Soybean tentiform leafminer (Macrosaccus morrisella) was detected feeding on soybean in Minnesota and the Dakotas in 2021 and Nebraska in 2024.
According to the University of Minnesota, it feeds on two native plants, American hogpeanut and slick fuzzybean, both of the Fabaceae family, the same family as soybean, says Valmorbida.
Source : missouri.edu