(Shistocerca americana, Melanoplus spp., Romalea microptera )
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Grasshoppers that feed on soybeans range up to 2 1/2 inches in length. Color and markings vary with the species. Nymphs feed primarily near hatching sites in pastures and field borders, then move into soybeans as their noncrop food source is consumed, dries, or is mowed. Minimum tillage soybean fields often have heavier grasshopper populations. Adults and nymphs feed on foliage and pods, often chewing into and destroying the seeds. Melanoplus spp. are the primary grasshopper pest of soybeans. The very large (2-1/2 inches) eastern lubber grasshopper occasionally destroys border rows of soybean fields in the South. |
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