Harvest is nearing completion, and fields are settling into the sweet spot for soil sampling. Extension services and agronomists recommend growers sample soil for soybean cyst nematode (SCN) this fall, after harvest but before a hard freeze or significant snowfall occurs.

SCN presence has been expanding across the U.S. every year, yet many growers are still unaware of SCN presence on their farm. Not only will sampling in the fall provide timely results in preparation for next season, but it will deliver a more comprehensive image of SCN populations. Because SCN has multiple generations throughout one season, testing mid-season will not provide a complete picture of the severity of a grower’s SCN problem.

While SCN-resistant soybean varieties have been a common tool for control, decreasing efficacy of the most common source of genetic resistance, PI88788, makes it critical to incorporate a broader management program. In addition to planting resistant varieties, growers are encouraged to practice crop rotation and plant varieties treated with a seed-applied nematicide. Once SCN is present, it cannot ever be entirely eliminated. To properly manage SCN, growers must use all the tools available.

To help explain the severe threat SCN poses, Syngenta teamed up with university experts across the Midwest to create a series of videos. Available on ClarivaCompleteBeans.com, these videos explore the challenges and provide in-depth management recommendations.

If soil samples test positive for SCN, it’s not too late. In addition to planting an SCN-resistant variety and practicing crop rotation, many universities now recommend incorporating a seed-applied nematicide like Clariva^® Complete Beans seed treatment, a combination of separately registered products, to help manage SCN populations – including those becoming resistant to SCN-resistant genetics. Clariva Complete Beans delivers lethal, season-long protection against SCN and enhances the performance of SCN-resistant varieties.

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