Weather Trends and Pest and Disease Impacts on Soybeans Webinar

Please join Drs. Maggie Lewis, Horacio Lopez-Nicora, and Aaron Wilson on a webinar titled Weather Trends and Pest and Disease Impacts on Soybeans on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, from 8:30-10:00 am ET. We will update the latest climate trends pertinent to soybean-related pests and diseases, including increasing winter temperatures and extreme weather. We will investigate how abiotic stressors linked to global climate change impact insect pests, from changes in population growth rates to geographic range and phenology. We will analyze the impact of weather patterns on the occurrence of diseases as well, including sudden death syndrome, frog eye leaf spot, white mold, and seedling rot caused by water molds (Phytophthora and Pythium). We will discuss effective management techniques for these stressors and offer innovative strategies to help ensure sustainable soybean production. Please register for this webinar at https://go.osu.edu/soy_climate24. We have applied for 1 Integrated Pest Management and 0.5 Crop Management CCA credits. Please visit the registration site for updates.

Dr. Maggie Lewis is a Research Scientist in the Department of Entomology at The Ohio State University. She is broadly interested in advancing sustainable insect pest management and characterizing climate change impacts on agroecosystems. Her current research uses soybeans and the soybean aphid as a model system to understand how climate stress will shift pest and beneficial insect population dynamics.

Dr. Horacio Lopez-Nicora is an Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Pathology at The Ohio  State University. His research falls into three areas: early detection and surveillance for soybean pathogens; pathogen ecophysiology and population biology; and soybean-pathogen interactions and host resistance. His lab addresses the short- and long-term stakeholder priorities of soybean pathogen management in Ohio through a commitment to extension work and development of practical solutions for growers in Ohio. Additional information can be found on Dr. Lopez-Nicora’s site at Ohio State University and The SCN Coalition.

Dr. Aaron Wilson is an Assistant Professor, Agriculture Weather and Climate Field Specialist with the Department of Extension in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. He is also the State Climatologist and principal research scientist at the Byrd Polar & Climate Research Center. Aaron’s research and engagements focus on observed and projected changes in climate and bridging expertise to improve decision making and effective climate change action.

This webinar is sponsored by Ohio State University Extension Integrated Pest Management Project (NIFA-GR125062). We would also like to thank the Ohio Soybean Council for their continued support.