News

Sudden death syndrome threatens wet soybeans

Among the problems from excessive rain is a soybean disease that could further hurt yield, a threat facing the soybeans that Upper Midwest farmers managed to plant between frequent downpours.  Dekalb/Asgrow  territory agronomist Chris Kallal tells Brownfield that overly wet fields have resulted in sudden death syndrome.

“When you think about that wet, cool spring that I was just talking about, it’s perfect for that fusarium infection to happen,” Kallal told Brownfield Ag News Tuesday in a field near Auburn, Illinois. “The infection happens early on in the soybean’s life and the symptomology shows up later in the life of the soybean plant, and we’re starting to see that now.  I expect it’s only going to get more widespread as we go through the next several weeks and get closer to harvest.”

Kallal made his comments at a Round-Up Ready Extend dealer training session.

AUDIO: Chris Kallal (5 min. MP3)