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Researcher
Seeking Soybean Fields for Pollinator Study
May 2, 2016
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Although soybean crops are self-pollinating, some
species of bee and fly pollinators can enhance soybean yields, says a
researcher with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental
Sciences at The Ohio State University.
The question is, what pollinator insects are active in Ohio soybean
crops?
That’s what Kelley Tilmon, a field crop entomologist with Ohio State
University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development
Center, wants to know. OSU Extension and OARDC are the outreach and
research arms of the college, respectively.
Tilmon is conducting a study on the issue and is seeking conventional
or organic soybean growers willing to allow insect sampling equipment
to be placed in their fields to identify what pollinator insects are
flourishing there.
The study will include fields that haven’t been planted with an
insecticidal seed treatment with a minimum field size of 500 by 500
meters, which is about 62 acres, she said.
“It’s more than just honeybees -- dozens of species of pollinators have
been found in soybean fields around the country,” Tilmon said. “This
project is trying to get a handle on what’s out there in Ohio fields.
“Some studies have shown that there is yield augmentation when
pollinators are present, meaning that the pollinators are giving a
little boost to the self-pollination of soybeans.”
The project involves placing a small sampling device consisting of a
metal stake mounted with a “bee bowl” posted at multiple locations up
to 250 meters into the field, at varying locations from the edge of the
field, she said.
The goal is to collect data from five Ohio soybean fields, Tilmon said,
noting that the sampling equipment can be removed when equipment needs
to go through the field.
“All participating farmers will receive information on what pollinators
are in their fields,” she said. “I anticipate we will see a nice
diversity of bee and fly pollinators consistent with results from other
areas.”
The project is part of the multi-state project Soybean Entomology in
the North Central Region and is funded by the North Central Soybean
Research Program, a Soybean Checkoff organization, Tilmon said. In
addition to Ohio, the pollinator studies are also being conducted in
Iowa, North Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, South Dakota and
Missouri, she said.
The three-year, $1.4 million project includes objectives on various
aspects of soybean production, such as insect monitoring and
management, pest resistant varieties, and maximizing economic returns
on management tactics. The pollinator objective is in its first phase,
which is to identify what pollinators are in soybean fields in the
region.
Future work will assess the pollinators’ impact on yields, Tilmon said.
Farmers interested in participating in the project can contact Tilmon
at 330-202-3529 or by email at Tilmon.1@osu.edu.
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