The Silent Yield Robber of Soybeans

Soybean Cyst Nematode is often referred to as the silent yield robber of soybeans across the United States. While not in every field, they are widely distributed across the soybean-growing region of the US and can cause up to 30% yield reduction before above-ground symptoms are exhibited.

The best way to determine if you have SCN in your fields is soil sampling. When a field doesn't quite yield what was expected or exhibits stress symptoms in certain areas, SCN may be to blame. Sampling may not be something to do across the whole farm right away, but picking a field or two is a good starting point. The results can be surprising even on fields that were some of the higher yielding on the farm. When samples are collected, there are numerous labs that can process them and some states offer this service for free. A good resource to find options in your state is the SCN Coalition. Samples will sometimes come back with a count of all three life cycle stages of SCN on the report and thresholds can vary by state depending on the stage.

The life cycle of SCN can be split into three stages: egg, juvenile, and adult. Juveniles infect roots in search of vascular tissue that they can feed on. As the juveniles feed and become adults, females begin to develop eggs within their body and eventually die, forming the egg-filled cyst that completes the life cycle. Cysts can persist in soil for several years, making infestation with SCN a perennial problem once a population is established in a field. As a problem that persists longer than one or two cropping seasons, SCN cannot be controlled by one measure alone in one year. Understanding the level of infestation in a given field is critical, which is where sampling comes in.

The BASF team in the North Delta and Mid-South collected samples from across the region during the fall of 2021. The results indicated that about half of the fields sampled had SCN at levels that were greater that the economic threshold. In these fields, there are a few options to reduce the pressure and yield losses associated with SCN. Crop rotation, SCN-resistant soybean varieties, and nematicidal seed treatments are all a part of the solution. BASF has a winning component of the management system with ILEVO® seed treatment. ILEVO brings proven performance against both SCN and sudden death syndrome and may be a fit on your farm if either of these yield robbers are present.

Please reach out to your local BASF representative if you have any questions about SCN, SDS, or ILEVO seed treatment. Read and follow all label directions. The SCN Coalition logo is a trademark of The SCN Coalition.