With the end of harvest in sight, it’s time to review this season’s crop performance to help decide what to plant next year. The disease pressure your soybeans experienced in 2017 should be a key indicator for selecting the varieties that will perform their best on your farm in 2018.

If your soybeans battled sudden death syndrome (SDS), they’re not alone. This common threat attacks the roots and stems of the plant, causing significant yield reduction. Because it is difficult to detect the disease until after the beginning of flowering, it’s important to know which fields were previously affected. If the soil is compromised, the disease can spread far and wide.

Another common soybean disease is frogeye leaf spot. The disease leaves reddish brown spots on affected soybean pods, with the fungus traveling through the outside wall and infecting the mature seeds. If the infection is severe enough, yields can decrease.

Seed selection can go a long way toward protecting your yield. Two varieties that performed particularly well against these diseases this season were NK® soybeans S43-V3X and S48-R2X brands, with the former averaging nearly 5 bu/A more than Asgrow® brands across 36 trials throughout the Delta and Southern Plains. Both varieties yield well across various soil types and exhibit solid SDS and frogeye leaf spot tolerance.

Learn more about these and other varieties by speaking with your NK retailer or sales representative.

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