Soybean (Glycine max) is one of the most important sources of edible oil and proteins and pathogenic infections are responsible for annual yield losses of about $4 billion in the United States.

[7] Symptoms are usually more obvious on young, rapidly growing leaves and are variable depending on the host genotype, virus strain, plant age at the moment of infection and the environment.

Macroscopic symptoms can range from apparently asymptomatic plants to severely mottled and deformed leaves.

[8] Most of the infected cultivars become slightly stunted and show fewer pods that are sometimes dwarfed and flattened, without hairs and seeds.

[HW 2] Trifoliate leaves show distinct mosaic and mottling symptoms with light and dark green areas that later can become raised or blistered along the main veins.

Leaves can appear curly or waved and some cultivars show necrotic local lesions that can later merge into veinal necrosis followed by yellowing and leaf abscission.

[HW 2] Seeds can also show symptoms of viral infection with SMV showing a brown or black mottle that is thought to be associated with suppression of posttranscriptional gene silencing of chalcone synthase by a silencing suppressor protein encoded by SMV.

[HW 2] Symptoms are sometimes hard to differentiate when temperatures are above 30 °C (86 °F) and can also be confused with growth regulator herbicide damage where the leaves elongate.

[11][12][6] The most important species in terms of efficient transmission include Acyrthosiphon pisum, Aphis fabae, A. glycines, Myzus persicae and Rhopalosiphum maidis.

Recently, the soybean aphid (A. glycines) was introduced into North America and because of its high transmission efficiency it has caused major concern.

The main management tools for avoiding yield reduction and severe damage of plants are preventive methods.

Late planting coincides with higher populations of aphids, which may increase the probability of virus transmission to young seedlings.

Aphids that come into contact with the insecticide residues on the leaf surface are killed but are still capable of virus transmission prior to death.