There is an app for that if your task is scouting for soybean aphids in 2025. If you haven’t experienced this tool before, here are a few quick facts:
- Aphid Advisor is a decision-making tool to help determine whether an action is warranted for control of Soybean Aphids (Aphis glycines) on soybeans.
- This app uses both aphid and natural enemy numbers, as well as expected population growth rates, to indicate whether there are enough natural enemies to keep aphid populations below action thresholds or if an insecticide application may be needed.
- The accuracy of output generated by this app depends on the accuracy of data submitted by users. Aphid Advisor does not validate submitted data and takes no responsibility for the accuracy of these results. There are other tools and sources of information to consider before deciding what pest management action to take.
- Aphid Advisor was developed by Rebecca Hallett (UofG), Christie Bahlai (UofG; current institution Kent State University) and Tracey Baute (OMAFRA). Funding for development of this app has been provided by the Agri-Food and Rural Link, a component of the OMAFRA – U of G Partnership.
- This app is based on the scientific literature and on research conducted at the School of Environmental Sciences and Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph, with funding from Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada’s Pesticide Risk Reduction Program, the Grain Farmers of Ontario, and the OMAFRA-University of Guelph Sustainable Production Program.
Get the Aphid Advisor app at the App Store – Click Here!!
How the App Works
Let’s take a look at how the app works. You’ll find it to be a quick way to record and assess soybean aphid data in fields you are scouting. And this tool makes it much easier to quantify our predator allies and the effect of ambient temperature on soybean aphid reproduction rate.
On the opening page, the app welcomes you and starts you on the four step process to getting a soybean aphid control recommendation.
Step 1 – Determining Growth Stage
First thing the app addresses is soybean growth stage to ensure you are not examining the field too early or too late. It provides handy images as references for each growth stage and you just tap on your choice.
Quick Estimate of Aphid Pressure
Next the app, asks you to estimate the aphid pressure by picking the leaflet that best represents what you are seeing on the leaflets in the field.
The app then confirms your choice. In this case the 50 aphids per leaflet image was chosen as best representing what we are seeing.
Quick Aphid Pressure Estimate Recommendation
The app then returns a quick preliminary recommendation. In this case, the app is predicting medium pressure and prompts you to do aphid counts to get a more accurate recommendation. At this point in the process the app might already provide a spray recommendation, if very high levels of aphids per leaflet are being experienced.
Step 2 – Full Plant Count Data Entry
Next, the app provides a datasheet you can fill in with your aphid counts per plant. For demonstration purposes only ten counts done in one sample location have been entered. An actual dataset in the field would included at least 30 or more counts.
Step 3 – Quantifying the Natural Enemies/Predators
The app provides you an opportunity to quantify soybean aphid natural enemies or predators in a specific datasheet. Names of natural enemies along with additional information and images are provided to help with identification along with a place to record counts for each species.
Step 4 – Accounting for Forecasted Temperatures
Finally, the app allows you account for minimum and maximum temperatures in the coming week which will directly affect soybean aphid reproduction rate.
And Finally – A Management Recommendation!!
Now that all the steps are done, the app returns a recommendation based on the data provided. At every step of the app you can go back and adjust data to explore how recommendations change. As well, there is a quick retry button you can tap on to begin the process over.
