Assessment of Insecticide/Miticide Treatments on Soybean Cyst Nematode Bioassays Under Greenhouse Conditions

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN)–soybean pathosystem is often reproduced under greenhouse conditions for basic research purposes, increasing inoculum, and soybean germplasm screening. Application of pesticides for SCN bioassays is often necessary for keeping insect and mite pest populations under control. The research presented here looks at the application of several foliar pesticides (active ingredients; abamectin, bifenthrin, clofentezine, imidacloprid, kinoprene, and pyridaben), a soil-applied imidacloprid, and combinations of pesticides on bioassays to determine if pesticide applications have a negative impact on SCN female and cyst numbers as well as egg and second-stage juvenile (J2) production, which could lead to dubious results. Results from this experiment demonstrate these chemicals can be used to control pest populations on soybean without significantly altering SCN female, cyst, egg, and J2 counts.