Diseases

Farming practices are constantly changing, as do the ecosystems within the fields where our crops are growing.  Reduced tillage and no-till farming practices have increased the ability for bacteria and fungi to thrive in these ecosystems.  Goss’s Bacterial Wilt is just one of example of a disease that has become more prevalent with these changes. 

White Mold – so called because of visible white mold that occurs on the stem and pods of infected plants. The causal disease is a fungus called Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. 

The disease can be very damaging to soybean crops. There was a major outbreak of white mold in 2009. With many of those soybean fields being rotated back into soybean in 2011, it might be well worth revisiting basic information regarding white mold.

Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) is a fungal disease. It occurs after flowering, most often after the pod-fill stage. When scouting, pay special attention to early planted fields and fields that are flat, fertile and expected to have high yields. SDS symptoms are fairly easy to identify. Leaves on infected plants first have scattered yellow or white spots between leaf veins. These spots start to die and enlarge to form brown streaks between the veins (interveinal necrosis).