Integrated Pest Management Strategies for Pillbug (Isopoda: Armadillidiidae) in Soybean

Abstract

Damaging populations of pillbugs (Armadillidium vulgare) occur in Kansas, resulting in reduced soybean (Glycine max) stands with few reliable control measures. Combinations of cultural and chemical controls were examined to effectively maintain soybean stands in the presence of pillbug feeding. Field studies during 2009-2010 demonstrated that a higher seeding rate (296,526 seeds/acre) compared to a lower seeding rate (148,262 seeds/acre) resulted in consistently higher plant counts (P < 0.05), which may be useful to growers trying to avoid replanting costs under significant pillbug infestations. Other than seeding rate, none of the individual and combined control measures appeared to be effective in maintaining stands across years, fields, and varying levels of pillbugs (P > 0.05). However, pillbug numbers were variable between fields, suggesting that further research is needed to examine their distribution and feeding behaviors to better understand the likelihood of damage to stands. A better understanding of this relationship will help determine if doubling seeding rates is an acceptable alternative to replanting stands.