By Katie Sullivan and Terry Kirkpatrick, Arkansas Nematode Diagnostic Laboratory Look at your soybeans. No, really look at your soybeans. Give that plant a good inspection—and dig it up and look at the roots.  The field in the background of the first photo below is a healthy looking field:  nice and green, even in height, […]

By Jeremy Ross, Extension Soybean Agronomist Hundreds of soybean varieties are commercially available to growers in Arkansas. Varietal performance, including yield, varies according to location, environmental adaptability to soils, maturity, lodging, height, disease and nematode resistance, and herbicide and chloride sensitivity. This information listed in the Soybean Update is largely derived from the University of […]

By Terry Kirkpatrick, Extension Plant Pathologist As you go about your late-season preparations for soybean harvest, don’t forget nematodes.  This year, they are certainly alive and well in the state!  And, again as last year, don’t forget that your soybean check-off dollars are at work through the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board that is sponsoring a […]

To: Agents, Agriculture and Staff Chairs in Soybean-Producing Counties From: Terry Kirkpatrick, Arkansas Nematode Diagnostic Laboratory The Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board, in partnership with the Arkansas Nematode Diagnostic Laboratory, will again be offering a “no cost” opportunity for county agents, consultants, and growers to survey their Arkansas soybean fields this summer and fall for nematodes. […]

The Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) in your soybean field may be trying to tell you something!  The increased incidence in SDS statewide this year is due to a lot of factors, including the cool, wet summer we have had.  However, keep in mind that although SDS is caused by the soil borne fungal pathogen Fusarium […]

Nematodes have been called the “hidden enemy” of soybean because these soilborne, microscopic root pathogens can go unnoticed in a field until yield losses become severe. The number of soybean fields showing visible damage due to nematodes has increased dramatically during the last few years statewide, and most of the time the root-knot nematode is […]

The 2014 season may be, as Yogi Berra said, déjà vu all over again. Although southern soybean stem canker has been a rare occurrence in Arkansas for the past several years, the disease is still around. Last week a few plants with stem canker were found in a research plot on the Rice Research and […]

Phytophthora root and stem rot (PRSR) of soybean is a disease that can be a significant problem in wet years such as we are having this year.  Cooler-than-normal temperatures, frequent rainfall, and poorly-drained soil favor this disease.  PRSR is caused by the oomycete Phytophthora sojae, a soilborne plant pathogen that can survive for years in […]

Nematodes are common pests in many soybean fields in the state.  Sometimes called the “hidden enemy”, root-knot, soybean cyst, and reniform nematodes can be costly if they are ignored.  Because they are not visible, damage caused by nematodes  is often overlooked.  Nematode are microscopic root-parasites, and the symptoms they cause, including plant stunting, yellowing of […]

Several soilborne soybean diseases occur in Arkansas that may look somewhat similar upon casual observation.  It is important, however, to accurately distinguish which is which because yield loss potential, as well as disease management and prevention may be radically different.  The following is a comparison of symptoms associated with southern soybean stem canker (SC), sudden […]