Soybean Disease New to Missouri Threatens Crop Yields and Has No Cure

By Harshawn Ratanpal

A soybean disease new to Missouri could hurt crop yields this season. It's tough to prevent, hard to detect and, as of now, there's no cure.

Red crown rot stems from a fungus that lives in the soil, which makes it easy to accidentally spread. Its symptoms include discolored leaves and the appearance of a fungus that looks like small red balls on the stem.

"Once we introduce this fungus into a field, you cannot un-introduce it," said Mandy Bish, a University of Missouri assistant professor and plant pathologist.

Red crown rot has been in the U.S. since the 1960s, first affecting peanuts. The first two cases of the disease on Missouri soybeans were confirmed last year, but since it mimics the symptoms of another soybean disease, sudden death syndrome, Bish said it might have been in Missouri longer than that.