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Red crown rot on soybean growers radar

An extension plant pathologist with the University of Missouri says farmers in the Midwest need to be keeping an eye out for red crown rot this season.

Mandy Bish says the soil-born soybean disease has been identified across several states, including Missouri, Illinois, and Kentucky.

“I unfortunately think we are under diagnosing it a little bit.”  She says, “We kind of just assume that it’s Sudden Death Syndrome. So, I think we have more of it. It resembles Sudden Death Syndrome on the leaves, so we call it that.”

She tells Brownfield examination of the plant’s roots and stem are the best way to distinguish the two diseases.

“We have to dig the roots up to see what’s growing.”  She says, “If it’s red and white, it may be red crown rot. If it’s blue and gray, it’s probably sudden death syndrome. You need to split the stems to determine if there’s some brown stem rot in there.”

Bish says red crown rot can cause heavy yield loss, and current management practices are limited to containing the pathogen to already infected fields.

AUDIO: Mandy Bish – University of Missouri