Evaluation of the Risks Associated with Wireworm to Soybean Production

Following the government-issued ban of the pesticide lindane, wireworm (i.e., the larval stages of click beetles) have become major pests of economically important field crops in the Canadian Prairies, including soybean. Wireworm feed on seed and below-ground tissues during the early stages of plant growth, which can result in considerable yield losses. Our overall objective of the proposed research is to evaluate the threat wireworms pose to present and future soybean production.
By the end of the three-year proposal, our research will better infer the true risks posed by wireworm to Manitoba soybean production, as well as the biotic, ecological and agronomic factors that are the greatest contributors to these risks. This information will be critical to the development of a scouting protocol and economic threshold, allowing farmers and agronomists to make decisions on management options.