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Key time to look for adult SCN females on soybean roots
Growers are encouraged to be on the lookout for soybean cyst nematode (SCN).
Iowa State University plant pathology professor Greg Tylka says adult SCN females should be visible on roots.
“This is a great time over the next four to six weeks to get out and dig roots, shake the soil off, and look for those little white SCN females.”
He says farmers can zig zag through fields, or target areas with low yields or weed patches.
“That’s a great place to check because that might mean that the plants are stunted, and the (soybeans) didn’t canopy over. That might be due to SCN.”
Tylka tells Brownfield high pH soils, low spots, and near field entryways are also good places to check.
“Most soybean varieties that a farmer grows these days are resistant, so they shouldn’t see hundreds and hundreds of little white dots. That is a red flag.”
He says to manage SCN, farmers can rotate non-host crops like corn or oats, plant resistant soybean varieties, and use seed treatments.
