John Wilson, Extension Educator, Burt County
Loren Giesler, Extension Plant Pathologist
The 'Tode Awards are given annually to counties for their work in sampling for soybean cyst nematodes (SCN), the most devastating pest to soybeans in Nebraska and the U.S. Last year SCN cost Nebraska farmers more than $45 million in lost yields. Nationally, it cost producers over $1 billion.
Losses caused by SCN can be reduced once a farmer knows SCN is present in the field, but there's the catch! Farmers can have yield losses of 20%-30% from plants that appear to be green, healthy and with no visible symptoms. Often the first indication of an SCN problem is soybean yields that hit a plateau, or even start to drop off, while corn yields continue to increase in that field.
The best way to determine if SCN is present is to take a soil test. To advance SCN sampling in Nebraska the Nebraska Soybean Board has funded a project with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln to encourage farmers to sample their fields. Their support covers the cost of analyzing soil samples for SCN, normally $25. The Nebraska Soybean Board recognizes what a serious problem SCN is and we are pleased to have them as our partner in this effort.
We just completed the ninth year of this project with some staggering results. Since 2005, almost 5,500 samples have been submitted and SCN has been identified in 29 Nebraska counties for the first time as a result of these tests. This more than doubles the number of counties where SCN had been confirmed over the previous 19 years. Since it was first discovered in Nebraska in 1986, SCN has now been identified in 56 counties that produce over 93% of Nebraska's soybeans.
Without the Nebraska Soybean Board's support, we would not have been able to reach this many Nebraska farmers. In 2013, 1,079 samples were submitted and 392 (36.3%) were positive for SCN. From these results, our panel of judges has identified the following 5th Annual 'Tode Awards winners:
In the category of Most (#) Samples Submitted:
Winner: Buffalo County (199)
Honorable Mention: Kearney County (88), Lancaster County (58), Platte County (52)
In the category of Most (#) Samples Positive for SCN:
Winner: Buffalo County (54)
Honorable Mention: Platte County (52), Saunders County (24), Dodge County (21)
In the category of Most (%) Samples Positive for SCN: (must have submitted at least five samples)
Winner: Seward County (86%) and Knox County (86%)
Honorable Mention: Burt County (84%), Platte County (81%), and Saunders County (67%)
In the category of Sample with Highest Egg Count (# eggs/100 ccs of soil):
Winner: Knox County (66,080)
Honorable Mention: Antelope County (53,120), Rock County (46,080), Cuming County (26,680)
And finally, in the category of Counties with First SCN Detection:
Winners: Custer, Rock
Some might argue that the counties in the last category are losers, not winners. However, now farmers in those counties know SCN is present in area fields and they can sample for it and start managing it if found in their fields. They will be winners by increasing their soybean yields if they know what the problem is.
Although it often goes undetected, SCN is here and it is reducing the profitability for Nebraska soybean producers. To learn more about SCN or to pick up bags to submit soil samples from your fields, contact your local UNL Extension office.
Source : unl.edu