News

Soybean pathologist says SCN can rob yields all year long, don’t wait to scout

A soybean pathologist says farmers should continue to scout for soybean cyst nematode throughout the season.

Horacio Lopez-Nicora with OSU Extension says SCN can cause significant yield reductions without any visible symptoms.

“It is a soil-borne pathogen,” he says. “Once it is introduced, it is very unlikely that we will be able to eradicate it. The nematode is robbing yield and it’s doing so throughout the season.”

He tells Brownfield taking a soil sample is one of the best ways to detect the disease. The Ohio Soybean Council and OSU Extension are offering free SCN soil testing for two soil samples sent into Lopez-Nicora’s lab. 

“We can go in now, pull the root system, and see the female attached to the root,” he says. “That will give you can idea if your treatment is working. That way, you have an entire year to decide what you are going to plant.”

Lopez-Nicora says testing now can help producers make better management decisions for next year.

“Populations of these nematodes will hatch and try to go find the soybean, but that population will further be reduced,” he says. “With the right strategy, that’s where we are going to experience less yield reductions.”

He says utilizing the SCN Profit Checker Calculator can help farmers evaluate the potential yield loss for that field.

AUDIO: Horacio Lopez-Nicora, OSU Extension