Agriculture and Natural Resources, Institute of (IANR)
Date of this Version
1-13-2009
Citation
IANR News Service: News and Publishing, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, P.O. Box 830918, Lincoln, NE 68583-0918. http://ianrnews.unl.edu/static/0903180.shtml
Abstract
LINCOLN, Neb. & As Nebraska farmers continue to make their seed selections for 2009, using resistant varieties to combat soybean diseases can not only save them headaches during the growing season but time and money.
This and other cost saving tips to help deal with high input costs in crop production can be found at UNL's Surviving High Input Costs in Crop Production (http://cropwatch.unl.edu/survivinghighinputcosts.htm) Web page.
When choosing varieties, the first thing to do is to select agronomic characteristics to match ground and other conditions, said Loren Giesler, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension plant pathologist.
"This should be the first criteria for making a decision along with the correct disease defense package," Giesler said.
A growing problem in Nebraska soybean fields is soybean cyst nematode.
"It is important that once identified in a field that soybean cyst nematode-resistant varieties be used in a rotation system so that the population (number of nematodes per unit of soil) does not reach a level that makes soybean production unfeasible," Giesler said.
SCN was originally identified in counties bordering the Missouri River. However, it now has been observed throughout the eastern third of Nebraska and as far west as McCook.
"Soybean cyst nematode is spreading. Each year, new fields are identified," Giesler said.