Sooty mold is a dark fungus which occurs when high amounts of honeydew are present on soybean leaves because of a soybean aphid infestation. Its effects are generally considered cosmetic, but on certain crops it has been shown to produce shading effects. This study attempts to document the impact of sooty mold on the rate of growth, flower production, pod formation, pod fill, and yield in soybeans. In 2002, plots were established and treated with a sugar solution, sugar plus fungicide, sugar plus insecticide, and sugar, insecticide, plus fungicide in order to create areas with aphids and no mold, aphids and mold, and mold only. Photosynthetic rates, pest populations, and yield were monitored in all of these plots. Characteristics such as number of pods and number of beans per pod were also recorded. In 2001 effects similar to shading had been observed in fields with high levels of sooty mold, so single plant treatments were also established in which 30, 50, 70, or 90 percent of sunlight was blocked off from the plant by knitted shade cloth. Number of flowers produced, flower abortion, pods set, pod abortion, pod fill, and yield were recorded from this experiment and compared with data obtained from the sooty mold plots
Species 1: Homoptera Aphididae Aphis glycines (soybean aphid)
Keywords: soybean, sooty mold
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