Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) continues to threaten the profitability of soybean production, regardless of growing conditions. That’s why Iowa State University (ISU) Nematologist Greg Tylka encourages farmers to collect fall samples.
There are two main reasons to collect soil samples for SCN this fall:
- SCN spreads into new fields every year. SCN is very easy to keep in check when population densities (numbers) are low, and numbers will be low when SCN first becomes established in a field.
- Growers who have managed SCN with resistant soybean varieties for several years should take soil samples following the soybean crops to determine what the current SCN population densities are and to gauge if SCN egg numbers are increasing on resistant soybean varieties. If fall sampling is done to determine if a field is infested with SCN, it makes sense to sample in harvested cornfields where soybeans will be grown in 2012.
Steps on how to take fall soil samples for SCN are available in the August 18 issue of The Gold Standard by the Iowa Soybean Association. More information about the biology, scouting, and management of SCN can be found at www.soybeancystnematode.info.