It was a warm, dry, and windy week across the state last week. Planting is winding down across the state, and the early planted corn fields are reaching the V4-V5 stages and soybeans earlier planted soybeans are around V1. Weeds coming through PRE herbicides, soil crusting, replant decisions, sand-blasting/leaf-tattering, and herbicide/seed treatment injury were some of the common issues or concerns heard by the ISU Extension field agronomists.

Soybean sudden death syndrome and Phytophthora root and stem rot reduced soybean yield by 57 million bushels in 2024. This cost soybean farmers $576 million, or $6.40 per acre of soybeans planted. 

Extension workers from universities across the U.S. engage in research and outreach to help farmers and industry manage these crop diseases. One way soybean stem disease information is made available is through the Crop Protection Network (CPN).