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Nebraska Soybean Growers Lose $25 Million Annually
That's the estimate of SCN damage.
Compiled by staff
Published: Nov 4, 2009
Soybean cyst nematodes rob U.S. soybean farmers of between 100 to 150 million bushels of yield, depending on the year, more than any other disease or pest, according to a soybean checkoff-funded survey.
"It has been estimated that Nebraska farmers are losing $25 million a year due to SCN," says Lisa Lunz, soybean farmer from Wakefield and Nebraska Soybean Board member.
That's why the soybean checkoff invests in production research to combat SCN and other yield-robbers and emphasize the value of its work on SCN standardization.
The checkoff collaborates with researchers like Terry Niblack, University of Illinois to verify SCN resistance in seed varieties. Niblack, along with other Illinois researchers, began industry collaboration in 2007 to determine the ideal standards for SCN resistance. The findings were presented to the National SCN Conference in 2008, where participants voted to accept the standards, and its details were published. The new standards could ensure that seed company varieties claiming to be resistant to SCN really do control SCN infestation.
"Several years ago we tested many varieties and found that two-thirds of the varieties labeled as SCN resistant were not really resistant, according to our assessment," says Niblack. "Now, over 85% of the varieties labeled as SCN resistant show resistance. The standardization has the effect of encouraging the companies to correctly label their seed."
The standardization also provides soybean farmers with more information on SCN, allowing them to make better decisions to control this yield-robber. Different Heterodera glycine (HG) types or races of SCN exist and varieties that control one type may not control other types.
To best utilize this information, farmers first need to know what type and level of infestation of SCN they're facing. Farmers can find this out through soil tests, with most land-grant universities offering this service.
"Testing your fields is the first step in finding out if you have a SCN problem," says Lunz. "It is important to know if you have SCN in your fields and what the population levels are, along with monitoring your population levels."
"The Nebraska Soybean Checkoff has a program to help producers identify fields that have SCN," says Lunz. "Sample bags are available to producers to send in a soil sample to be tested. This will be done at no cost to the producer. We are trying to help producers identify if they have a problem with SCN and educate them on management options, through field days. Through this program, we keep identifying new areas in the state that have SCN."
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