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The Soybean Cyst Nematode was first detected in Illinois soybean
fields in the 1970s. The worm sucks the nutrients out of the
soybean plant, causing more than $1 billion in soybean yield
losses each year in the U.S.
“Soybean Cyst Nematodes actually attack the plant roots, and
what happens is that it inhibits the actual nutrient outtake and
that in turn causes major yield loss,” agronomist Stephanie
Porter with the Illinois Soybean Association said.
The
pest normally thrives in hot, dry weather, which is what the
2023 growing season experienced in Illinois. As a result, the
nematode most likely populated and produced a lot of eggs, which
could affect soybean yields.
Porter said one way to combat the pest is to plant other crops
in soybean fields.
“We use nonhost crop rotation, which is a corn-soybean rotation,
so if we have multiple years of corn, that causes a decline in
Soybean Cyst Nematodes,” Porter nsaid.
Nonhost crops are crops that cannot support a specific pest or
pests of dry beans.
A new study finds that one type of fungi can cut the nematodes’
reproductive success by more than half. Researchers at the
University of Illinois inoculated young soybean plants with
fungi and SCN in greenhouse experiments. By the end of the
experiment, all five fungal species had reduced the number of
SCN cysts in the roots.
Although the news is encouraging, the Illinois Soybean
Association is trying to stay ahead in the SCN battle. Porter
notes that there are free SCN egg counts and soil sampling for
Illinois farmers, which is funded by the Illinois Soybean
Association Checkoff Program. That program has farmers invest
0.5% of the net market price for each bushel they sell,
according to the association.
Illinois is the top soybean producing state in the country, with
over 677 million bushels produced in 2022.
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