Seasonal risks of Melanagromyza sojae (Diptera: Agromyzidae) in the central soybean-producing regions of the American continent
摘要
Melanagromyza sojae is an important pest in soybean crops in Asia, causing up to 100% losses. In 2015, this insect was introduced to the Americas, the world’s leading producer of soybeans. CLIMEX is program for determining seasonal risk models for pests. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the seasonal risks of M. sojae in the central soybean-producing regions in the Americas using CLIMEX. The study found that the optimum temperature and humidity ranges for M. sojae were 15–29 °C and 0.001–0.5 of soil field capacity, respectively. The insect’s occurrence points in its native region were primarily in areas with high climatic suitability. The model predictions and actual pest densities showed a strong correlation (0.83) and were statistically significant (< 0.0001). Interestingly, the soybean-producing regions of the USA and the Midwest of Brazil did not exhibit high climatic suitability for the pest, which could be a potential advantage for these regions in managing the risk of M. sojae. The soybean-producing regions of Argentina and southern Brazil showed high climate suitability for M. sojae during the months of March–November, and June–January, respectively. Therefore, the model determined in this work is promising for predicting the seasonal risks of M. sojae in soybean crops in the Americas, indicating regions and seasons favorable to the pest.