Farms.com Home   News

New Inoculation Method Can Protect Soybeans Against Devastating Leaf Blight

Reported in three major soybean-producing countries in South America (Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay), Cercospora leaf blight (CLB) is a global threat to soybean. CLB causes dark-purple lesions on leaves and premature defoliation, which can diminish soybean production.

soybean production

Currently there are no CLB-resistant soybean cultivars, and fungicides are becoming less effectiveness as CLB develops resistance. To combat this devastating disease, it is imperative to breed resistant soybeans.

Thanks to a collaboration between scientists at the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences in Japan and at the National University of Northwestern Buenos Aires and the National Institute of Agricultural Technology in Brazil, we now have an inoculation method that can identify resistance against one of the CLB pathogens.

Click here to see more...

Trending Video

How Can We Grow More Food With Less Impact?

Video: How Can We Grow More Food With Less Impact?

For over two decades, Dr. Mitloehner has been at the forefront of research on how animal agriculture affects our air and our climate. With deep expertise in emissions and volatile organic compounds, his work initially focused on air quality in regions like California’s Central Valley—home to both the nation’s richest agricultural output and some of its poorest air quality.

In recent years, methane has taken center stage in climate discourse—not just scientifically, but politically. Once a topic reserved for technical discussions about manure management and feed efficiency, it has become a flashpoint in debates over sustainability, regulation, and even the legitimacy of livestock farming itself.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Professor and Air Quality Specialist with the CLEAR Center sits down with Associate Director for Communications at the CLEAR Center, Joe Proudman.