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Expert says don’t ignore white mold risk

The director of agronomy for Heads Up Plant Protectants says white mold has yet to show up in the Upper Midwest this growing season.

But Nolan Berg tells Brownfield that doesn’t mean it should be ignored.

“If we’ve been getting rains in the last couple weeks and your soils are wet, you may be at risk if things start to cool down and we get some cloud cover.”

White mold is a destructive fungal disease that can lead to reduced soybean pod counts, moldy seeds, or complete plant death.

Berg says Heads Up is the first EPA registered seed treatment for both white mild and sudden death syndrome.

“We go on the seed before you plant,” he said. “We’re not a fungicide, we go with your fungicide and we actually use your plant’s genetics to fight white mold later in the season.”

According to Purdue University Extension, white mold usually appears in the late July through August timeframe when soybean plants are beginning to flower. Early disease symptoms include water-soaked lesions on the main stem.

Berg spoke to Brownfield at the 2026 Ag PhD Field Day in South Dakota.