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Researcher wants farmers to send in possible SDS samples Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Agri News staff writer
ST. PAUL -- Sudden Death Syndrome has been found in Minnesota soybean fields and farmers are asked to submit suspicious plants to the University of Minnesota for testing.
Sudden Death Syndrome began showing up in southern Minnesota fields three weeks ago. It has been confirmed in fields near Waseca, Mankato, New Ulm and Lamberton so far this season.
"It's really just starting to show up," said Extension plant pathologist specialist Dean Malvick, who is also a University of Minnesota assistant professor of plant pathology.
SDS typically appears when pods start filling, Malvick said. The first symptoms of SDS are leaves that have yellow spots that spread outward, similar to how water droplets spread on a piece of paper. Farmers will have to be in a field to see these symptoms. Once the disease progresses, SDS is visible from the road. It shows up as yellowing plants with curling leaves in small patches, typically low spots.
Malvick said the disease will probably show up in fields for the next week or so. The odds of it appearing in the areas of central Minnesota where it has been dry are pretty low.
Sudden Death Syndrome was first found in Minnesota in a Steele County field in 2002. It has been confirmed in 21 counties since.
Malvick suspects the disease may be more widespread. That's where he needs help from producers.
He received funding from the Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council to get a better handle on where SDS is located in the state. To determine the disease's spread throughout the state, he's asking producers to mail him samples of entire plants including as much of the root system as possible and about a cup of dirt.
The roots should be wrapped in a wet paper towel or two, with the bottom half of the plant and the roots tucked in a plastic bag. Package the plant, roots and dirt in a paper bag or box and ideally ship them overnight to Malvick. The plant shouldn't be in the mail for more than two days.
"The fresher the plants are the better," Malvick said.
SDS is found in the soil and it moves in much the same way as soybean cyst nematode. Farmers should clean their equipment between fields to avoid spreading the disease.
Fields that have SDS also tend to have SCN, Malvick said. He talked to a producer in Kandiyohi County who had never tested for SCN, but he had SDS in his soybeans. After the SDS was discovered, he tested the field for SCN and the results came back at 19,000 eggs per 100 cc.
Yield losses associated with SDS vary, but can be significant, Malvick said.
Unfortunately, there's not much farmers can do at this point in the season to protect yield.
"At this time of the season, there's absolutely nothing (producers can do)," Malvick said. |
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