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SCN management should top soybean growers’ resolution list

A crop protection specialist with Valent says soybean growers aiming for high yields in 2025 need to manage soybean cyst nematodes (SCN).

Eric Ott says SCN is easy to overlook.

“Something that you don’t really think about since it’s below ground and it’s microscopic roundworms that we’re talking about,” he says.

He tells Brownfield the pest robs billions of dollars in yield from U.S. soybean growers every year.

“A pest that we don’t necessarily always think about as a yield robber because there’s a lot of genetic resistance built into modern varieties,” he says.

However, Ott says that resistance has gaps, so adding a seed treatment, specifically a nematicide, provides added protection against SCN.

“Every bushel counts and it’s something that we can manage,” he says.

Ott says farmers can work with their local retailers and agronomists to formulate an SCN action plan.

AUDIO: Eric Ott – Valent