Update from the Field: The Mold and the Beautiful
Posted by David Dyson, Agronomist on October 02, 2017
Over the past week, we have seen above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall in the eastern half of the corn belt. This is perfect harvest weather. The area around our Walton facility is harvesting soybeans at a decent clip, while the North Manchester, Litchfield, and North Central Ohio areas are just getting started. The yield reports that are trickling into our offices are very uplifting. Hopefully the reports are true. Sometimes coffee shop talk is susceptible to the first liar syndrome; the first one to talk about yields will never win.
While visiting the Walton area this week, I was called out to look at a field of soybeans. The client was disappointed in the yield even though an application of fungicide and insecticide was made around R3. The yield monitor was reporting half the yield compared to the previous field. I asked a couple of questions to determine the differences between the two fields. Probing more about the soybean crop, I found that the field with the reduced yield started dying prematurely. I asked the client if the soybean leaves showed signs of sudden death syndrome (SDS). He replied that the plants just “up and died,” and did not show any symptoms of SDS. The field was only half harvested, so we journeyed out to look at the remaining crop. The client had planted two varieties of soybeans, alternating across the field. The varieties were easy to discern because of the color difference. One variety was gray in color (Figure 1), and the other variety was tawny in color (Figure 2). Upon closer examination of the soybean stalks, we identified white mold. The tawny colored soybeans were loaded with pods, but most of the pods were empty of soybean seeds. The gray colored soybeans had white mold on the stalk, but the pods were not all empty.
In conclusion, we need to scout fields as soon as we detect a problem. In this particular case, if we would have waited another day to go out and check on this field, the combine would have destroyed vital clues of what went wrong, and it would have been difficult to prevent future issues. White mold lives in the soil and can reoccur every time soybeans are grown in this field. The white mold spores enter the soybean plant during flowering. We can apply Proline® fungicide at R1-2 to prevent the spores from entering the flowers, and applying Cobra® herbicide right before the reproductive stages has shown some evidence of reducing white mold.
Key Points
- Scout problems as soon as you hear of them
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions
Figure 1: Soybeans with white mold. These soybeans are gray in color, and the white mold pustules are highlighted with a red circle.
Figure 2: Tawny colored soybeans. The white mold is highlighted with a red oval.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Please complete the form, and we’ll get you in touch with your Territory Manager from The Andersons.
Dave Dyson is a regional agronomist for The Andersons’ Farm Centers which are located throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. He is an Indiana native and grew up on a dairy farm in Miami County. A graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Crop & Soil Science, Dave has a deep knowledge of various agronomic topics and is committed to helping growers improve their crops. If you have any questions, Dave can be reached at david_dyson@andersonsinc.com.
Proline is a registered trademark of Bayer. Cobra is a registered trademark of Valent U.S.A. Corporation.
