Soybean Disease Considerations for Planting into Cool, Wet Soils

Damon L. Smith – Extension Field Crops Pathologist, University of Wisconsin

The 2014 soybean planting season has been painfully slow this season in Wisconsin.  In our research trials we have managed to plant at a couple locations, but the majority of our soybean plots have not been planted.  Looking at the forecast for the next several days, I suspect we will be further delayed.

To add further insult to injury, are the cool and wet soil conditions.  Even if we do manage to plant some plots in the next few days, the soil temperatures remain in the lower 50 degree Fahrenheit range in the southern part of the state, and likely cooler as we move north.  All of the rain is also keeping the soil very wet.  These conditions are very conducive for various seed and seedling diseases of soybean.

Last season I wrote a Wisconsin Crop Manager Article about this topic. Rather than recap that article, you can visit it directly by clicking here. In the article I talk about some likely diseases of soybean under these conditions. I also direct you to some helpful links about seed treatments and resistance genes for Phytophthora management.

We also recently developed a fact sheet on Phytophthora Root and Stem Rot of Soybean that might also be helpful.  This fact sheet can be downloaded by clicking here.

Heres to hoping we can all plant soybeans soon!