In 2019, Alabama produced 9.36 million bushels of soybean with an estimated value of 134.5 million dollars. Several viruses present challenges including Soybean Vein Necrosis Virus (SVNV), Tobacco Streak Virus (TSV), Soybean Mosaic Virus (SMV), and Bean Pod Mottle Virus (BPMV). To address this, a biological survey was performed during the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons for virus and their insect vectors, including Sericothrips variablilis (soybean thrips), Ceratoma trifurcata (bean-leaf beetle), and Aphididae spp. (aphids). Six soybean plots were surveyed in Clanton, Tennessee Valley, Sand Mountain, EV Smith, and Auburn. To collect insects: one hundred walking sweeps were performed at each location eight times through randomly chosen rows of soybean. To test for virus, ELISA assays were conducted on between five to ten independent tissue samples per collection displaying symptoms ranging from mottling, mosaic or streak patterns, necrosis, deformations, or stunting. In 2020, 60 plant samples were tested with one positive result for SVNV from Auburn. Total number of Sericothrips variablilis increased during July-August, while numbers of Ceratoma trifurcata and Aphididae spp. decreased over the season. In 2021, although surveys are incomplete, out of 60 samples, two samples for SVNV and three samples for BPMV tested positive from EV Smith and Auburn. As of September, insect collections in 2021 have been significantly lower with less than 100 Sericothrips variablilis compared to over 900 from 2020. Results from the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons highlight the need for determination of how environmental conditions are impacting both viral prevalence and insects present.
