Soybeans - The plants are in the 6 to 7 trifoliate stage, with the plants beginning to bloom in a few fields. No pest problems were noticed. There have been a few reports of thrips feeding on soybean leaves. Thrips Thrips are most commonly associated with furrow irrigated crops grown in close proximity to winter wheat. Infestations commonly occur as the wheat matures and the thrips disperse in search of new food sources.
Thrips are a common sporadic pest of soybeans.
The plant response to thrips feeding initially results in cupped, puckered leaves followed by yellowing or browning of the leaves. These symptoms are made more severe by plant stress. Hot dry weather seems to increase problems by favoring the thrips and stressing the plants, while wet weather favors the plants, which can then often out grow the thrips problems. Early season drought may cause an ordinarily harmless thrips population to become a problem. Thrips damage occurs primarily during periods of vegetative growth and is difficult to distinguish from that of a wide range of pests and diseases, which cause yellowing and browning of leaves.