News

Red Crown Rot spreading in Illinois soybeans

A fairly new disease called Red Crown Rot is spreading in Illinois soybeans this season.

Illinois Soybean Association Outreach Agronomist Stephanie Porter tells Brownfield the disease appeared in western Illinois in 2017 but is proving more aggressive this season with confirmed cases in central Illinois as well.

“It’s a root rot and it’s new so we don’t know a lot about it. We’re trying to get the word out on how to diagnose it. It’ll be bright red at the crown and sometimes it has these fruiting structures that are red at the crown of the plant, but we’re not seeing those right now.”

She says at first glance, the foliar symptoms could be mistaken for Sudden Death Syndrome or a different root rot.

“So you have to be very careful not to just automatically assume that you’re seeing Phytophthora root rot out there- you could also be seeing Red Crown Rot. We’re encouraging people to dig up the plant and make sure it is identified correctly.”

Porter says she suspects Red Crown Rot has spread across the state, it is just a matter of finding and correctly identifying it. She says agronomists and researchers in neighboring states are also scouting for it.

Porter says while there are no treatment options at this point in the season, she recommends considering a Saltro seed treatment the next time infected fields are planted to soybeans, since it is labeled to help fight Red Crown Rot.

Click here for more information about diagnosis and management.

Click here for more information about submitting samples.

Audio: Interview with Stephanie Porter

*Red Crown Rot photos provided by Stephanie Porter