By Tracy Turner
A new soybean disease that can cut yields by more than half has been detected in Ohio for the first time, raising urgent concerns for the state’s top crop.
Red crown rot, caused by the soilborne fungus Calonectria ilicicola, which has devastated crop fields in neighboring states, was recently identified in Delaware County by The Ohio State University Soybean Pathology and Nematology Laboratory.
“This confirmation is a critical first detection,” said Horacio Lopez-Nicora, assistant professor of soybean pathology and nematology with Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES). “Once established, this pathogen is nearly impossible to eradicate, so integrated management is the only sustainable path forward to reduce its impact on our soybean crop.”
The issue is significant, considering that soybeans are Ohio’s top crop by acreage and value.
Source : osu.edu