By Linda Geist
Construction is underway on the new Soybean Cyst Nematode Diagnostics Lab at the University of Missouri, with completion expected by July 2026. Work on the facility began in late February.
Operated in partnership with MU Extension and the MU College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, the lab delivers high-quality plant and nematode screening for the biotech industry, researchers and farmers, said Mandy Bish, who has directed the lab since 2023 and is MU Extension’s state plant pathologist.
The Missouri legislature allocated $2 million in the FY2026 budget to upgrade the lab. The Missouri Soybean Association collaborated with legislators and Gov. Mike Kehoe to secure funding, which will strengthen the university’s longstanding leadership in soybean cyst nematode (SCN) research and diagnostic testing.
Beyond its focus on soybeans and SCN, the facility provides essential nematode testing for Missouri government agencies, homeowners and gardeners and offers hands-on training for undergraduates from across the state.
The new facility will help researchers advance SCN management, an issue that costs Missouri farmers an estimated $250 million annually. “Demand for research on SCN is high,” she said, noting that the lab’s workload has doubled in recent years.
A recent statewide survey conducted by MU doctoral student Jefferson Barizon shows that SCN causes an average 9% yield loss in Missouri soybeans and now affects 80% of the state’s soybean fields.
“SCN can cause substantial yield losses without obvious symptoms, which makes regular soil testing and monitoring essential for management,” said Barizon.
Soybean cyst nematode is a microscopic pest that attacks soybean roots, reducing the plant’s ability to take up water and nutrients. This can result in significant yield losses without any obvious above-ground symptoms to the plants, which makes diagnostic soil and plant sampling a key aspect of detection. First identified in North America in 1954, SCN is now the top yield-limiting pathogen in soybeans and is present in nearly every soybean-producing county in the U.S. and Canada, except in West Virginia and Prince Edward Island.
Source : missouri.edu