Soybean School: Make resistance a priority when selecting varieties

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) in soybeans.

Next time you chose a soybean variety, don’t just consider yield trials.

Be sure to take a close look at disease trials; they help determine whether the yield potential of the variety you select will become reality in your field, says OMAFRA plant pathologist Albert Tenuta.

In this episode of the Soybean School, we catch up with Tenuta at his sudden death syndrome (SDS) disease screening nursery near Rodney, Ontario. Here he’s testing four different breeding lines for SDS resistance. He notes that these lines perform well in Iowa and Missouri, but some of them falter under Ontario conditions. “That’s my plug for local ratings and screenings because populations are different depending on where you are in North America.”

So, when you’re planning for next year don’t only go for yield, says Tenuta. “Take a look at disease ratings and try to gear it toward your field. If you have SDS or soybean cyst nematode, take a look at those ratings and try to pick the best variety for your field.

Click here for more Soybean School episodes.

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