Abstract
Soyabean, because of its importance in food security and wide diversity of uses in industrial applications, is one of the world's most important crops. There are a number of abiotic and biotic constraints that threaten soyabean production. Soyabean pests are major biotic constraints limiting soyabean production and quality. Crop losses to animal pests, diseases and weeds in soyabeans average 26-29% globally. This review discusses biology, global distribution and plant damage and yield losses in soyabean caused by insect pests, plant diseases, nematodes and weeds. The interactions among insects, weeds and diseases are detailed. A soyabean integrated pest management (IPM) package of practices, covering the crop from pre-sowing to harvest, is outlined. The effect of climate changes on arthropod pests, plant diseases and weeds are discussed. The history and evolution of the highly successful soyabean IPM programme in Brazil and the factors that led to its demise are explained.