(posted on behalf of Dr. Carrie Ortel, Assistant Professor and Extension Soybean Agronomist, Virginia Tech Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center)

Each year, the Virginia Tech Soybean Agronomy Program conducts the Official Variety Trials (OVT), evaluating a wide range of commercially available soybean varieties to provide farmers with unbiased, research-based information for variety selection.

The complete set of 2026 yield results are now posted and available in the online tool. The results will be finalized and summarized with seed quality information, then shared at the winter meetings and published as soon as possible.

How to Use the Soybean Variety Selection Tool

1. Access the tool
   Find the direct link as well as a tutorial video and previous annual publications here:
   https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/SPES/spes-762/spes-762.html
2. Filter the data
   Use the buttons on the left side of the page to filter results based on:
3. System (full-season or double-crop)
4. Location
5. Group (field-determined relative maturity grouping)
6. Brand
7. Variety
8. Herbicide package
9. Relative maturity group
10. Yield (bu/ac)
11. Relative yield (percentage of maximum yield at that site and group)

3. Sort columns
   Click any column header to sort the table and explore trends.
4. Access company tech sheets
   Want more information? Click any variety name to open the associated company tech sheet. You will have a redirect notice appear, the new web link should begin with https://arec.vaes.vt.edu, followed by variety information, indicating you’re continuing to a safe VT site with the PDF available.
5. View archived results
   To explore last year’s dataset, change the “Planting Year” filter to 2025.
6. Share your feedback
   Use the “Let us know what you think!” button to submit anonymous comments and suggestions.
7. Learn more about the tool
   Click the “?” icon for a detailed overview of how everything works.

Thank You

We extend our sincere appreciation to everyone who made this tool and the 2026 OVT season possible. Special thanks to Chris Mitchell, VT CALS Web Manager, and Suzanne Pruitt, Tidewater AREC Communicator, for their guidance and support in bringing the Soybean Variety Selection Tool to life.

We are also grateful to our colleagues across the Virginia Tech Agricultural Research and Extension Centers for hosting trial plots: Dr. Joseph Oakes and his team at the EasternVirginia AREC; Dr. Arash Rashed, Ned Jones, and Laura DeBusk at the Southern Piedmont AREC; Dr. Mark Reiter, Andrew Fletcher, Makenzie Shifflet, and Dr. Joey Haymaker at the Eastern Shore AREC; and Jenny Sheetz at the Northern Piedmont Center.

Finally, we appreciate the participating seed companies for contributing their top varieties to the soybean OVT and supporting research that benefits growers across Virginia.

Questions or Suggestions?

We’d love to hear from you.
Contact: Carrie Ortel — carrieo@vt.edu

Corn earworm moth numbers in pheromone traps are increasing substantially in many part of the state this week. This represents the movement of corn earworm out of field corn to other crops like soybeans and cotton. In 2025, we established a network of pheromone traps throughout the state with the help of our excellent Virginia Cooperative Extension Agents. Trap data is updated daily and can be found here. Use this tool to monitor moth flights in and around your area and plan your scouting efforts accordingly.

Fortunately, most, if not all, of our cotton is protected from bollworm injury by the Vip3A Bt toxin. While we do have widespread resistance to older Cry (e.g. found in Bollgard 2, Widestrike 2) toxins, we have no evidence suggesting Vip3A (e.g. found in Bollagrd 3, Widestrike 3) resistance development in our area. You may still find bollworm eggs or neonate larvae in cotton, but they will not successfully feed or develop on these varieties.

Soybeans should be scouted regularly for corn earworm activity as they leave corn, particularly in beans that have started developing pods. The economic threshold for corn earworm is dynamic, so it changes slightly based on the current price of beans, costs of control, etc. The threshold calculator can be found here. It is also important to consider what to spray if you do reach the economic threshold. Pyrethroid insecticides (e.g. Warrior II, Bifenthrin) are not effective, especially for large larvae.

As always, please contact me with any specific questions.

btim2@vt.edu, 757-621-8804

Asiatic Garden Beetle

Reports have come in this week of heavy asiatic garden beetle activity, in some cases in areas where it was not previous reported. Over the past several years, we have monitored adult beetle activity and the peak is consistently around the first week of June. There is however an extended period of emergence after that, in which beetles are still active.

Much of our early planted cotton has grown enough that it will outpace some asiatic garden beetle feeding at this stage. Some late planted cotton with only a few leaves may still be at risk. Carefully monitor any late planted fields, particularly fields with some history of asiatic garden beetle feeding and sandy fields. The best control measure is a spray of bifenthrin at the highest labeled rate. Although the beetles are active at night, research has not identified a difference in number of beetle cadavers when spraying during the day or at night.

Tarnished plant bug

Some cotton is beginning to square here in Suffolk, which means it is time to start scouting weekly for tarnished plant bugs. Protecting early squares is critical for limiting potential yield losses from this pest. That said, not every field will need an early treatment, and spraying too early can be a waste of input costs. The economic threshold from first squaring until the first or second week of bloom is;

More than 8 plant bugs/100 sweeps AND
less than 80% square retention

Try to avoid using strong broad spectrum insecticides (Acephate, Bidrin, Bifenthrin) until late in the season to prevent flaring up other pest issues. Pyrethroids (Bifenthrin, Warrior II) or mixes containing pyrethroids (Endigo, Brigadier) may also have limited efficacy for plant bugs due to insecticide resistance development. Once we reach the first week of bloom, sampling switches from the sweep net to a drop cloth. The threshold at this stage is 2-3 plant bugs per drop cloth sample.

Dominic Reisig at NC State University has a good visual guide to plant bug spray programs, depending on the total number of sprays needed, and when in the season they occur (https://cotton.ces.ncsu.edu/news/insecticide-recommendations-for-tarnished-plant-bug-2026/).

Cotton Jassid

Finally, a brief update on the invasive cotton jassid. The first confirmed reports of insect activity have come in from South Alabama, South Georgia, and Florida over the last couple weeks. Based on these being the first sightings in 2026, it is likely that these insects did not successfully survive this past winter in most of their 2025 spread area and will have to remigrate northward this year. These being the first sightings may be good news for us here in Virginia, but we will continue to monitor aggressively throughout this season. The current distribution can be found here (https://stop2scl.org/cotton/). This map will be updated in real time and will help us track the spread from the south in 2026.

Written By: Kemper Sutton and Tim Bryant

Reports of pea leaf weevil activity have come in from New Kent County and the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The pea leaf weevil (Sitona lineatus) is established in Virginia, but it is highly sporadic and rarely considered an economic pest in soybean. However, It has been found causing significant injury to seedling soybean plants this year. Many of the problem fields are soybeans planted into heavy residue from a legume cover crop, like vetch.

Adult weevils feed on seedling foliage, creating characteristic notching along leaf margins. Under heavy infestations, this feeding can lead to economically significant defoliation. Foliar insecticide applications should be considered when defoliation reaches approximately 40% at the seedling stage. Effective control options include pyrethroids such as beta-cyfluthrin, bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, and zeta-cypermethrin.

Larvae can also be a concern, as they develop in the soil and feed on root nodules, potentially reducing nitrogen fixation in host plants. However, currently, there have been no confirmed reports of larval injury in soybean fields in our region.

Fields planted without an insecticide seed treatment may be at greater risk, as seed treatments can provide early protection against both foliar feeding and belowground injury. These fields should be prioritized for scouting.

We are beginning to see thrips numbers and injury increase in trials on the research station in Suffolk. Many folks are making decisions this week about whether or not a foliar application is needed, and if so, what to spray.

The first thing to consider in cotton is the growth stage. You are most likely to get an economic return on a foliar application made at the early first true leaf stage. Applications made beyond this stage usually have diminishing return on that investment. In many of our trials planted in late may, we have progressed to the second true leaf stage, and third true leaf in some cases.

Last year, we found tobacco thrips in Virginia with reduced susceptibility to acephate (~75-80% mortality). This year we are continuing to monitor using lab assays and field trials. Results of lab screenings are still to come, but in our earliest field tests on station, acephate (at 8 oz/ac) has provided an acceptable level of control. This is one location and one planting date. Milage will vary by location, planting date, and field conditions. If you decide to make a foliar application of acephate, it will be important to carefully monitor after the fact to ensure an acceptable level of control. The alternative option which provides excellent control is Hemi SC (2.5 – 3.0 oz/ac). This product needs to be applied with a non-ionic surfactant or with an herbicide that already has a surfactant to provide good control.

In 2025, the percentage of western flower thrips in the population was high (70%-80% in many fields). This year, we have seen the opposite so far with about 70% tobacco thrips in our tests on station. Western flower thrips have always been more difficult to control with acephate, so a lower percentage of this species makes acpehate a more viable option. Again, the species composition can vary by location and field conditions.

As always, please contact me with any questions you may have.

Cell: 757-621-8804, Email: btim2@vt.edu