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MSU studying impacts of wheat on SCN

Researchers at Michigan State University are investigating how wheat limits soybean cyst nematode populations.

Nematologist Marisol Quintanilla tells Brownfield a recent nematode survey of carrot growers who rotate with wheat had a surprising discovery.

“In the survey, when we collected the soil from farmers fields, we found 30 percent of the samples have soybean cyst nematode in the roots which shouldn’t be the case because wheat is not a host of soybean cyst nematode, so we’re wondering what is happening,” she says.

Those results however have not been able to be replicated in lab trials this past year. Quintanilla says this fall she will be trialing several varieties again along with small grains in field trials.

“We’re going to do it outdoors and over winter to see if there are some environmental conditions that are making this happen—it’s the wheat together with some environmental condition,” she suspects.

She says antidotal evidence from farmers and research in Illinois also suggests wheat somehow reduces populations.  Illinois researchers believe wheat along with microbial activity suppresses the pathogen.

Quintanilla presented her work as part of this week’s Michigan Wheat Program’s Summer Field Day.