Tag Archives: Soybean Cyst Nematode

“70 is the new 50”

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Bill Latham, Chief Technology Officer

“70 is the new 50.” Although I turned 70 years old this year, I’m not talking about my age. Rather I’m talking about the new expectations of our customers.

So many Latham customers are getting whole-field yields in the 70s and 80s now that 70 bushels per acre (bu/A) has become what a 50-bushel was 30 years ago. Latham soybean genetics, stacked with the Genuity® Roundup® Ready 2 Yield trait, is giving us yields that we’ve never before seen. The precise insertion of the RR technology without yield drag, combined with Latham genetics, is a winning combination. Our soybean lines are bred to fight common diseases – and yield robbers in our area – like Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN), Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS), Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC), as well as Phytophthora Root and Brown Stem Rot.

During the 45 years I’ve spent developing soybeans varieties, I’ve never seen anything like this! We’ve all seen test plots go over 70 and 80 bushels before, but this year we are seeing whole fields average over 80 bushels for the first time. At Dows, Iowa, an 80-acre field of Latham L2084R2 went 77.8 bu/A over the scale. At Lancaster, Wisconsin, an 84-acre field of Latham L2084R2 made 79 bu/A, and in Hawkeye, Iowa, an entire field of Latham 2183R2 broke the 80 bushel barrier!

I hope none of you believe 50 or even 60 bu/A is good enough. We hear from many farmers, who are planting our competitors’ products, say they’re excited about yields in the high 50s. Recently, I spoke with a Pioneer customer who said, “This year I got 59 bushels from my Y series soybeans. Those are some of the best yields I’ve ever had.”

“That’s a shame” I replied. “Your neighbor down the road is getting 75 bushels from Latham beans with Genuity Roudup Ready 2 Yield trait. 70 is the new 50.”

­­­­­­­­­­­­Keep in mind that Pioneer’s Y series soybeans contain the old Roundup Ready 1 technology. What is that old technology costing you?

Sample this Fall for SCN

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Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) continues to threaten the profitability of soybean production, regardless of growing conditions. That’s why Iowa State University (ISU) Nematologist Greg Tylka encourages farmers to collect fall samples.

There are two main reasons to collect soil samples for SCN this fall:

  • SCN spreads into new fields every year. SCN is very easy to keep in check when population densities (numbers) are low, and numbers will be low when SCN first becomes established in a field.
  • Growers who have managed SCN with resistant soybean varieties for several years should take soil samples following the soybean crops to determine what the current SCN population densities are and to gauge if SCN egg numbers are increasing on resistant soybean varieties. If fall sampling is done to determine if a field is infested with SCN, it makes sense to sample in harvested cornfields where soybeans will be grown in 2012.

Steps on how to take fall soil samples for SCN are available in the August 18 issue of The Gold Standard by the Iowa Soybean Association. More information about the biology, scouting, and management of SCN can be found at www.soybeancystnematode.info.

Fall Weather is Perfect for Soil Sampling

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Now that fall harvest is complete, it’s the perfect time to take a walk in your fields. A recent Wallaces Farmer reminds readers to collect soil samples (1) to determine whether soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) are present, and (2) to develop management strategies to control nematode numbers in those fields that are infested.

“The key to profitable long-term soybean production in SCN-infested fields is to prevent SCN from increasing,” says Greg Tylka, Extension nematologist at Iowa State University. Taking soil samples this fall can help save you money in the long run.

Soil Sampling Guidelines

  • The more soil cores collected and the smaller the area sampled, the more accurate the results will be.
  • Soil cores should be from the upper eight inches of soil.
  • If corn or some other non-host crop was last grown in the field, it doesn’t matter if soil cores are collected in the previous crop’s row.

Click here for the full list of soil sampling guidelines and to read the complete article.

(Source: Wallaces Farmer)