Know Your SCN Numbers
Knowledge is power when it comes to plant-parasitic nematodes. And knowing the species and population numbers of this cunning underground foe can help soybean growers recapture lost yield potential.
For decades, soybean growers have relied on genetic resistance to help minimize yield loss caused by soybean cyst nematode feeding. Today, more than 90% of commercial soybean varieties continue to rely on that original PI 88788 resistance to the SCN nematode.
“When you keep using the same source of resistance year after year after year that nematode figures out ways to overcome that resistance,” says Nathan Schroeder, nematologist with the University of Illinois.
And if you are growing soybeans, your soil is likely teeming with soybean cyst nematode populations and feeding losses can substantially slash yield potential.
“Every county in Illinois has SCN. Every county in Iowa has SCN. It's prevalent throughout the soybean growing region of the U.S.” Schroeder says. “Greg Tylka at Iowa State produces a nice map showing the counties where they've found SCN, and it essentially shows where soybeans are grown in the United States.”
According to a University of Illinois study, soybean growers may be losing 25% to 30% or more yield potential to nematode feeding and not even know it.
“The difficult thing about SCN is that the above ground symptoms are nondescript, but those nematodes are taking nutrients from the plant,” Schroder says.
Identifying SCN populations in specific fields can aid management decisions. And regularly measuring egg counts can help correlate yield variations across a field with likely nematode feeding damage.
“Knowing the numbers helps us align our customers with the right strategies to tackle this complex problem,” says Dair McDuffee, product development manager for Valent seed treatments.
While most growers are choosing to plant a SCN-resistant soybean variety, limiting yield loss to nematode feeding may require a more complex plan of action that includes a nematicidal treatment, such as Aveo® EZ Nematicide.
“When we are tackling SCN, we have a lot of different options and most of them are easy. Picking a different variety can be relatively easy and seed treatment is relatively easy,” McDuffee says. “And products like Aveo EZ Nematicide make it even easier because it has a super low use rate, and the safety profile is much more favorable than some of the older chemistries that we used previously to manage SCN.”
Another valuable grower tool is The SCN Coalition’s SCN Profit Checker
The online tool estimates percent yield loss and profit loss based upon a grower’s location, soil pH, soil type, yield expectation, expected soybean market price and SCN population as determined by soil testing.
Regularly soiling test for nematodes is the only sure-fire way to know how much yield is lost to nematode feeding as there are often few easily recognizable above ground symptoms.
“Nematodes are insidious foes. You're not seeing them. They're not above ground. You really need to test to know what’s there,” Schroeder says. “From a researcher’s perspective, I would love to see data every year. I think that becomes impractical for most farmers, but if you can set a schedule where you're doing it with fertility tests it will help you remember. Do it every presidential election, something like that, anything that's going to make it easy to keep in mind.”
For more information about economic assistance for nematode testing contact your local state soybean association, and to learn more about Aveo EZ Nematicide contact your local retailer or Valent representative.
Always read and follow label instructions.
Aveo is a registered trademark of Valent U.S.A. LLC.
For decades, soybean growers have relied on genetic resistance to help minimize yield loss caused by soybean cyst nematode feeding. Today, more than 90% of commercial soybean varieties continue to rely on that original PI 88788 resistance to the SCN nematode.
“When you keep using the same source of resistance year after year after year that nematode figures out ways to overcome that resistance,” says Nathan Schroeder, nematologist with the University of Illinois.
And if you are growing soybeans, your soil is likely teeming with soybean cyst nematode populations and feeding losses can substantially slash yield potential.
“Every county in Illinois has SCN. Every county in Iowa has SCN. It's prevalent throughout the soybean growing region of the U.S.” Schroeder says. “Greg Tylka at Iowa State produces a nice map showing the counties where they've found SCN, and it essentially shows where soybeans are grown in the United States.”
According to a University of Illinois study, soybean growers may be losing 25% to 30% or more yield potential to nematode feeding and not even know it.
“The difficult thing about SCN is that the above ground symptoms are nondescript, but those nematodes are taking nutrients from the plant,” Schroder says.
Identifying SCN populations in specific fields can aid management decisions. And regularly measuring egg counts can help correlate yield variations across a field with likely nematode feeding damage.
“Knowing the numbers helps us align our customers with the right strategies to tackle this complex problem,” says Dair McDuffee, product development manager for Valent seed treatments.
While most growers are choosing to plant a SCN-resistant soybean variety, limiting yield loss to nematode feeding may require a more complex plan of action that includes a nematicidal treatment, such as Aveo® EZ Nematicide.
“When we are tackling SCN, we have a lot of different options and most of them are easy. Picking a different variety can be relatively easy and seed treatment is relatively easy,” McDuffee says. “And products like Aveo EZ Nematicide make it even easier because it has a super low use rate, and the safety profile is much more favorable than some of the older chemistries that we used previously to manage SCN.”
Another valuable grower tool is The SCN Coalition’s SCN Profit Checker
The online tool estimates percent yield loss and profit loss based upon a grower’s location, soil pH, soil type, yield expectation, expected soybean market price and SCN population as determined by soil testing.
Regularly soiling test for nematodes is the only sure-fire way to know how much yield is lost to nematode feeding as there are often few easily recognizable above ground symptoms.
“Nematodes are insidious foes. You're not seeing them. They're not above ground. You really need to test to know what’s there,” Schroeder says. “From a researcher’s perspective, I would love to see data every year. I think that becomes impractical for most farmers, but if you can set a schedule where you're doing it with fertility tests it will help you remember. Do it every presidential election, something like that, anything that's going to make it easy to keep in mind.”
For more information about economic assistance for nematode testing contact your local state soybean association, and to learn more about Aveo EZ Nematicide contact your local retailer or Valent representative.
Always read and follow label instructions.
Aveo is a registered trademark of Valent U.S.A. LLC.