The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) reproduction can be affected greatly by soil conditions. SCN numbers are positively correlated with soil temperature and negatively correlated with soil moisture. In short - greatest SCN reproduction occurs in hot, dry growing seasons.
Temperatures in Iowa were unusually warm in May 2018. In one field in central Iowa, adult SCN females were seen on roots on June 5, just 26 days after planting (read more here). Typically, SCN females do not appear on roots in the spring until 35 or more days after planting.
June and July have continued to be warm and parts of the state remain dry. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service reported at the end of July that corn and soybean crop development in Iowa was 7 to 14 days ahead of schedule. It is likely that SCN development has been accelerated this season, too. And hastened SCN development could result in greater-than-normal increases in egg numbers.
Patches of soybeans maturing early? A tell-tale symptom of SCN
Soon, patches of early-maturing plants will be appearing in Iowa soybean fields. There can be many different reasons for early senescence of soybeans. A common cause of early-maturing soybeans that is not often discussed is SCN feeding. The results of a study conducted at Iowa State University’s Northern Research and Demonstration Farm south of Kanawha, Iowa, illustrate this phenomenon visually.
A sampling grid pattern was established in the study area shown in the figure below, and three soil cores were collected from each intersection of the gridlines in the spring. The three cores were combined and mixed into one composite soil sample, and the SCN egg population density present in each soil sample was determined. In mid-September, aerial images of the study area were collected.
A distinct pattern of early-maturing soybean plants is seen near the top edge of the field in the aerial image. And grid cells with high SCN egg population densities are in a similarly-shaped pattern in the map of SCN numbers. The soybean plants matured early where SCN population densities were the greatest.
Actively manage SCN for the future
It is not possible to eliminate SCN from a field once the field has been infested. Instead, an active, integrated management approach is needed to keep SCN population densities in check to preserve the productivity of infested fields for growing soybeans in the future.
Integrated management of SCN includes growing nonhost crops such as corn in rotation with SCN-resistant soybean varieties. Also, farmers should seek out soybean varieties with different sources of resistance to grow in different years. And nematode-protectant seed treatments now are available to bolster the performance of SCN-resistant soybean varieties. Fields should be sampled in the fall prior to every second or third soybean crop to monitor SCN population densities.
For more information about the biology and management of SCN, refer to www.TheSCNCoalition.com and www.soybeanresearchinfo.com/diseases/scn.html.
Links to this article are strongly encouraged, and this article may be republished without further permission if published as written and if credit is given to the author, Integrated Crop Management News, and Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. If this article is to be used in any other manner, permission from the author is required. This article was originally published on August 6, 2018. The information contained within may not be the most current and accurate depending on when it is accessed.
Greg Tylka Morrill Professor
Dr. Greg Tylka is a Morrill Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Iowa State University with extension and research responsibilities for management of plant-parasitic nematodes. The focus of Dr. Tylka's research program at Iowa State University is primarily the soybea...