(1st Place) Understanding the role of hail damage on soybean gall midge abundance

Soybean gall midge (SGM, Resseliella maxima Gagné) is considered to be one of the most important pests of soybean in the Midwest, with the ability to cause 17-31% yield loss. From 2011 to 2017, field reports of orange larvae suspected to be SGM were confined to late in the growing season and were primarily associated with soybean that had been compromised by disease or hail damage. In 2019, SGM was identified as a new species, but its interaction with hail-damaged plants is unclear. As a result, field studies were conducted in 2022 and 2023 in eastern Nebraska to evaluate the impact of hail damage on SGM larval abundance and plant injury. A simulated hail machine was used to injure plants at three different stages of plant development. Categories of stem damage were developed, and larval abundance was recorded at each injury point on a stem. The results of this research will provide an understanding of the role of hail damage in SGM infestation and its risk to current and subsequent soybean crops.