In South America, soybean is predominantly cultivated in Brazil and Argentina, with around 41 and 16 million hectares, respectively, during the 2021/2022 crop season. The main pests threatening soybean yield in South America are lepidopteran pests and stinkbugs, which frequently demand the use of chemical insecticides. However, when those insecticides are sprayed based on IPM principles, only when reaching or surpassing the Economic Thresholds, insecticide use is reduced by around 50%, triggering significantly environmental and financial benefits. IPM has its basis in the sustainable use of different tools to manage pests, including harmless insecticides, OGMs, among others. Recently, the introduction of the transgenic Bt soybean cultivars, expressing the Cry1Ac protein from the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, has triggered an overall reduction of insecticide use by around 38%. However, lower refugee compliance is still a challenge to IRM program in this cropping system. Also, Augmentative Biological Control (ABC) is a promising tool, and its use has increased annually from 10% to 20% in the country, adding up to cases of IPM success. Overall, the combination of different eco-friendly tools inside Soybean IPM is an economical and environmental solution to produce this inexpensive and critical source of protein to feed an increasing global population.
