Thursday 28th March 2024

soybean-cyst-nematode

The best time to test for soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is right after soybean harvest.

Missouri farmers can now submit two free tests to SCN Diagnostics through county University of Missouri Extension centers or directly to the SCN Diagnostics laboratory.

According to a press release, SCN Diagnostics is a plant and nematode screening service based in the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

United Soybean Board checkoff dollars fund the free tests as part of efforts by the SCN Coalition to raise awareness of the pest. The coalition is a public-private partnership of industry representatives and university researchers and specialists, including those from MU Extension.

Officials say, SCN is the No. 1 soybean pest in the United States, accounting for more than $1.2 billion in crop losses per year.

SCN began spreading quickly through Missouri in the 1970s and gained a foothold in most of the state’s soybean-growing counties by the 1990s. SCN is easily transported in soil. The cysts and eggs spread via equipment, water and wind.SCN symptoms include stunted growth and yellowing, but yield loss can happen even when there are no visible symptoms, Bissonnette says.

There are four main ways to manage SCN:

1) test your fields to know your numbers;

2) rotate resistant varieties;

3) rotate to non-host crops; and

4) consider using a nematode-protectant seed treatment.

For more information, contact your local MU Extension center or SCN Diagnostics at scndiagnostics@missouri.edu or (573) 884-9118. Sample submission forms are available at www.SCNdiagnostics.com.

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