Advancements, Challenges, and Future Perspectives of Soybean-Integrated Pest Management, Emphasizing the Adoption of Biological Control by the Major Global Producers
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Soybean-IPM: A Successful Case Study from the State of Paraná, Brazil
| Soybean Season | Number of Fields | Number of Sprays (Insecticides) | Days Until First Insecticide Spray | Pest Control Costs 2 (kg/ha) | Yield (kg/ha) | Increased Profits 2,3 (kg/ha) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adopter | Non-Adopter | Adopter | Non-Adopter | Adopter | Non-Adopter | Adopter | Non-Adopter | Adopter | Non-Adopter | ||
| 2013/14 | 46 | 333 | 2.3 | 5.0 | 57.5 | 33.0 | 144 | 302 | 2952 | 2922 | 186 |
| 2014/15 | 106 | 330 | 2.1 | 4.7 | 66.0 | 34.0 | 120 | 300 | 3612 | 3516 | 276 |
| 2015/16 | 123 | 314 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 66.8 | 36.0 | 120 | 240 | 3426 | 3282 | 264 |
| 2016/17 | 141 | 390 | 2.0 | 3.7 | 70.8 | 40.5 | 138 | 246 | 3870 | 3828 | 150 |
| 2017/18 | 196 | 615 | 1.5 | 3.4 | 78.7 | 43.6 | 138 | 324 | 3702 | 3630 | 258 |
| 2018/19 | 241 | 773 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 74.0 | 40.3 | 126 | 246 | 3006 | 2916 | 210 |
| 2019/20 | 255 | 553 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 75.0 | 56.0 | 108 | 186 | 3864 | 3804 | 138 |
| 2020/21 | 191 | 518 | 1.7 | 3.4 | 76.0 | 59.0 | 60 | 120 | 3654 | 3618 | 96 |
| 2021/22 | 175 | 522 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 85.0 | 57.0 | 36 | 96 | 1752 | 1740 | 72 |
| 2022/23 | 150 | 443 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 86.0 | 61.0 | 54 | 156 | 4128 | 4002 | 228 |
| 2023/24 | 138 | 543 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 72.0 | 56.0 | 162 | 276 | 3552 | 3228 | 438 |
| Average | 160.8 | 484.9 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 73.4 | 46.9 | 109.6 | 226.6 | 3410.7 | 3316.9 | 210.7 |
3. Use of Economic Thresholds (ETs) in Soybean-IPM
4. Use of Bt Cultivars in Soybean-IPM
5. Role of Biological Control in Soybean-IPM
6. Opportunities for Increasing the Adoption of Soybean-IPM
7. Final Considerations and Future Perspectives of Soybean-IPM
8. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Pests | ET(s) | References |
|---|---|---|
| Aphis glycines | 273 ± 38 aphids/plant | [50] |
| Bemisia tabaci | (a) 1.5 insects per leaflet (b) Beginning of sooty mood formation | [51,52] |
| Crocidosema sp. | 50% of damaged plants | [30] |
| Defoliators | (a) 30% defoliation (soybean in the vegetative stage)—Brazil, Illinois, Iowa, and North Dakota (USA) (b) 35% defoliation (soybean in the vegetative stage)—USA (c) 40% defoliation (soybean in the vegetative stage)—Michigan and Ohio (USA) (d) >40% defoliation (soybean in the vegetative stage)—Indiana (USA) or (e) 15% defoliation (soybean in the reproductive stage R1 to R6)—Brazil, Ohio and Michigan (USA) (f) >15% defoliation (soybean in the reproductive stage R1 to R6)—Indiana (USA) (g) 20% defoliation (soybean in the reproductive stage)—Illinois, Iowa, and North Dakota (USA) | [27,53] |
| Helicoverpa zea | 3.5 caterpillars/m or sample cloth or 9 caterpillars/25 sweeps—USA | [54] |
| Heliothinae (Helicoverpa spp. and Chloridea virescens) | (a) 4 caterpillars/m or sample cloth (soybean in the vegetative stage)—Brazil or (b) 2 caterpillars/m or sample cloth (soybean in the reproductive stage)—Brazil | [24] |
| Pod feeders | 25% damaged pods | [29] |
| Spodoptera spp. | 10 caterpillars (≥1.5 cm)/m or sample cloth | [55] |
| Stink bugs | (a) 2 stink bugs (≥0.5 cm)/m or sample cloth (soybean for grain production)—Brazil (b) 3 stink bugs (≥0.6 cm)/m or sample cloth—USA (c) 9 stink bugs (≥0.6 cm)/25 sweeps—USA or (d) 1 stink bug (≥0.5 cm)/m or sample cloth (soybean for seed production)—Brazil | [28,52] |
| Tetranychus cucurbitacearum | 21.23 mites/leaflet | [56] |
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de F. Bueno, A.; Hoback, W.W.; Colmenarez, Y.C.; Valmorbida, I.; Sutil, W.P.; Zang, L.-S.; Horikoshi, R.J. Advancements, Challenges, and Future Perspectives of Soybean-Integrated Pest Management, Emphasizing the Adoption of Biological Control by the Major Global Producers. Plants 2026, 15, 366. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030366
de F. Bueno A, Hoback WW, Colmenarez YC, Valmorbida I, Sutil WP, Zang L-S, Horikoshi RJ. Advancements, Challenges, and Future Perspectives of Soybean-Integrated Pest Management, Emphasizing the Adoption of Biological Control by the Major Global Producers. Plants. 2026; 15(3):366. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030366
Chicago/Turabian Stylede F. Bueno, Adeney, William W. Hoback, Yelitza C. Colmenarez, Ivair Valmorbida, Weidson P. Sutil, Lian-Sheng Zang, and Renato J. Horikoshi. 2026. "Advancements, Challenges, and Future Perspectives of Soybean-Integrated Pest Management, Emphasizing the Adoption of Biological Control by the Major Global Producers" Plants 15, no. 3: 366. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030366
APA Stylede F. Bueno, A., Hoback, W. W., Colmenarez, Y. C., Valmorbida, I., Sutil, W. P., Zang, L.-S., & Horikoshi, R. J. (2026). Advancements, Challenges, and Future Perspectives of Soybean-Integrated Pest Management, Emphasizing the Adoption of Biological Control by the Major Global Producers. Plants, 15(3), 366. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15030366

