As the 2026 soybean harvest wraps up across Indiana, growers have an excellent opportunity to assess one of the most damaging and often overlooked threats to soybean production: soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines). SCN is the leading yield-limiting pathogen of soybean in the United States, causing an estimated $1.5 billion in annual losses. One of the biggest challenges in managing SCN is that infected soybean plants may appear healthy even when significant yield losses are occurring. If your corn yields have been steadily increasing while soybean yields remain stagnant, SCN could be one of the contributing factors. Even if you have never observed symptoms of SCN in your fields, that does not mean the nematode is absent. Fall soil sampling is a simple and effective way to determine whether SCN is present and assess its population density. Why Should Indiana Growers Be Concerned About SCN? SCN is widespread in[Read More…]
46 articles tagged "soybean".
Red crown rot symptoms are continuing to progress across Indiana, and additional affected fields are being identified as the season advances.
Red crown rot of soybean, caused by Calonectria Ilicicola, continues to be a concern in Indiana.
The increasing adoption of early-planted soybean in Indiana, and throughout the Corn Belt, prompts the question of whether herbicide programs should remain the same as those used for later planting dates.
There are a number of resources available for monitoring field crop diseases here in Indiana.
Soybean development in 2024 has been about 10 days ahead the 5-year average from flowering to pod development to leaf drop (USDA-NASS, 2024). Fast stand establishment and high accumulation of heat units (GDDs) during May and June certainly set the pace. Now in many areas, harvest is fully in gear based on the combinations of early maturities, early plantings, and late season heat and dryness. Timely planting is foundational for maximizing soybean production. Growing up in the Midwest, the mindset was to plant corn first followed by soybean (as long as it was planted by Memorial Day you were “fine”). That sentiment has changed based agronomic research, Extension recommendations, and farmers’ experience. Indiana planting of soybean shifted dramatically in 2018 to within ~4 days of corn planting where it had averaged 14 days behind corn the previous ten years. In fact, Indiana farmers continue to place high priority on soybean[Read More…]
Red crown rot of soybean has become a new concern this season in Indiana after a few localized occurrences have been found in previous years (see map, Figure 1A). We also have our first reports for 2024. This disease is caused by the soilborne fungus, Calonectria ilicicola. At this point in the field season, we are on the hunt to determine how widespread the issue may be here in Indiana. Therefore, we need your help in documenting red crown rot and collecting samples. What to look for: The disease may appear in patches in a field similar to our other soilborne diseases such as sudden death syndrome (SDS) and brown stem rot (Figure 1B). Early foliar symptoms may also mimic these diseases, which include chlorosis (yellowing) and necrosis of leaf tissue between leaf veins (Figure 1C). Therefore, it is important to take a few plant samples and check out the[Read More…]
Rains have left many fields with standing water and the threat of more rain on the way. In a manner of a few miles, one field received one inch of rain and another field has received 3 inches of rain or more.
Aerial drone application technology has recently become available and may address limitations by providing greater agility to monitor and apply under conditions where obstacles and poor field conditions limit current pesticide application equipment.
Red crown rot of soybean has become a new concern this season in Indiana after a few localized occurrences have been found this year.
