Nematodes & Knowledge
When Southern Problems Move North
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Are you checking any of your soybean fields for Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) this year? Have you done any testing in the past?
Up until two days ago, I’d never tested any soybean field. Our new soil probe arrived this week, and the dirt is already in the lab. We hope to see results by the end of the week.
Other than at winter ag meetings, where I like to geek out on the latest farm research, I don’t hear much about SCN in our area.
The pitchforks came out, and I was chased out of Dodge when I mentioned cyst nematodes in the past.
They’d tell me things (for some reason in a Southern drawl) like, “We don’t take to your kind spreading rumors about this down-south problem,” and, “We ain’t got none of that up here, son. Now go on and git on outta here!”
Some got so defensive you’d swear I brought up something about Voldemort in front of a Harry Potter Fan Club.
I’m not trying to monger fear or say the name we cannot say. Not at all.
Like many Northern Red River Valley farmers, I’m tired of seeing thirty-bushel soybeans most years and want to break through that glass ceiling.
To do that, one must investigate all possibilities to find yield-limiting factors. This includes checking your ground for cyst nematodes.
What is a Soybean Cyst Nematode?
SCN is a soil-borne pathogen that reduces yield by up to 30%, often misdiagnosed as iron-deficiency chlorosis. This son of a beesting often robs yields before you can even see a problem.
What got me interested was a keynote speech at our Legend Seeds dealer kickoff meeting a few weeks ago.
Our speaker was a fellow farmer from our locale who was tired of watching his soybeans struggle, looking sickly and yellow and mimicking iron deficiency chlorosis.
After testing his ground for SCN, the results blew his hair back. His cyst populations were in the tens of thousands, an extraordinarily high and yield-robbing number. Unfortunately, a number that means your best bet may be rotating away from soybeans for a few years while cyst populations subside.
Though the results may be harsh to stomach, testing for SCN is easy peasy. With a basic soil testing hand probe, I knocked out our soybean fields in a single afternoon with plenty of time to cool down with a Miller afterward.
There was a time when some states offered free testing, but from what I understand, hardly anybody took advantage, so not many of those programs are available anymore. However, testing is inexpensive and well worth the investment.
Finding cysts in your dirt is not a death sentence. Some tools can aid in the battle if your numbers aren't astronomical. There are defensive traits in soybean varieties that can combat yield loss from SCN. There are seed treatments available that are also very effective.
The first step in the fight against SCN is knowing whether or not you have a problem, and just before soybean harvest is the best time to get out to check your cyst populations.
I’m still learning about Soybean Cyst Nematode, and we are beginning to test the Riopelle Seed Research Grounds to see where we stand on the battlefield. We’re happy to share our findings as we move forward.
If you’d like to learn more about testing your fields or need a hand getting started, email me at adamkuznia@riopellesco.us.
Below are some helpful links to learn more about Soybean Cyst Nematode and how to test for them:
https://extension.umn.edu/soybean-pest-management/soybean-cyst-nematode-management-guide
https://www.ndsu.edu/pubweb/~bernelso/soydiseases/cyst.shtml
https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/soybean-cyst-nematode
Bigger Yields on Less Moisture
When I started the Farming Full-Time Newsletter, I didn’t think I would eat my words so early on in the weekly pamphlet.
In the second installment on July 22nd, during one of my hissy-fits about the drought, I boldly stated that area wheat yields would be trash and that the lack of moisture and excessive heat in late May and early June fried the hard red spring wheat.
This is one time I’m happy to have a plate of crow for dinner. The yield reports I’ve heard whispered around the area have exceeded my expectations.
Like, Zoinks, Scoob!
Everything I’ve come to believe about spring wheat needing a ton of moisture to produce boo-coo bushels is proving rubbish.
I’m also learning that predicting yields before the combines roll is a fool’s errand.
One of the best things (though sometimes difficult to watch) about a drought year has been seeing what our seed genetics in 2023 can handle. We’ve come a long way.
When discussing droughty years of the past, 1980 is the year that comes up most often. My pappy often tells me how much wheat had to be destroyed that year.
After looking at the data, our summer rainfall in 2023 isn’t far from what they received in 1980. Back then, it was an epic disaster, while today, some crops hardly noticed.
In just four decades, we've gone from struggling to grow crops with little rainfall to achieving impressive yields with the same moisture. The advancements in agriculture during this time are truly remarkable.
How are we doing it?
One of the most significant improvements has been the quality of genetics. We are now breeding seeds that can be more efficient with water use than those of the past.
We can place our fertilizer much more strategically, using variable-rate technology to put the plant snacks precisely where they need to be.
We’ve also gotten used to doing much less tillage, so we’re keeping much more moisture in the soil for longer.
All these improvements make a guy wonder what things will look like ten, twenty, fifty years from now.
The Wheel in the Sky
I often marvel at the change farmers of my grandpa’s generation witnessed throughout their lives. One-row beet harvesters grew into twelve-row monsters. Somebody had the brilliant idea to start putting cabs on combines. Tractors are now close to driving themselves.
There was a time when a 300-horsepower four-wheel drive was a big frickin’ deal, and now a rig with 500 ponies isn’t even worthy of securing a spot in the county fair parade.
The old-timers sprayed in cab-less spray coupes all day, singing Merle Haggard songs and bathing in vile chemicals. In a day, they’d maybe knock out eighty acres. This year, a friend of mine sprayed the same size field in twenty-three minutes.
The progress we’ve made bends the mind.
It’s not going to be long before the genetic makeup of a crop can be individually tailored to fit different soil types and geographies.
We will be able to produce higher yields on half the moisture.
The best part, it’s coming sooner than you think.
It makes me wonder what my grandkids will say about their curmudgeon of a grandfather when pondering the change I’ve experienced.
It’s a beautiful and exciting time to be alive in all industries, especially agriculture.
Where will we go from here?
The Bugs Are Back in Town
With dry weather comes pest infestations, and 2023 is no exception.
Many soybean fields in the area have needed a late-season application of bug juice to do away with leaf munchers like green clover worms or spider mites.
Those buggers can do a number on your foliage in a hurry. In my crop scouting days back in 2019, we had a run-in with thistle caterpillars defoliating soybeans:
Defoliation can be deceiving. Therefore, knowing when to spray can be tricky.
Thankfully, plenty of universities have done the legwork and have a recommendation of when to load up the sprayer. The University of Minnesota recommends hitting the bugs when defoliation levels hit twenty percent if the infestation comes during soybean flowering.
It may not sound like a lot, but twenty percent defoliation is a fair amount. Looking at it will make you want to puke, but unfortunately, the most economical option is letting them get to that twenty percent level before spaying insecticide.
If you’re seeing holes in your soybean leaves, look at the research and recommendations from the research professionals. Consult with your agronomist to determine whether or not to go after the insects and, if so, when to apply.
Here are a couple of links for those DIY entomologists interested in a deeper dive into soybean defoliation from pests:
https://extension.sdstate.edu/green-cloverworms-causing-defoliation-soybean
https://crops.extension.iastate.edu/cropnews/2010/07/green-cloverworms-appear-soybean
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