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SCN Coalition partners with Valent

A new partnership between the Soybean Cyst Nematode Coalition and Valent is helping farmers tackle the crop’s leading yield-robber.

Sam Markell with the SCN Coalition says it causes more than $1.5 billion in losses annually. “When you see (SCN) in a field, you often don’t see symptoms above the ground. You have to take about a 30 percent yield loss for your fields to start to turn yellow in spots. And so it’s really under the radar.”

He tells Brownfield the coalition and Valent are working together to encourage growers to check for SCN females attached to roots during the growing season. “The nematode is adapting. One of the earliest ways you can check and see how well your management tools are working is to get in the field in July and August and start looking for some of those white, small, cream-colored cysts.”

Markell says farmers should plan on testing soil after harvest if they have an SCN infestation.