Management of Soybean Cyst Nematode and Sudden Death Syndrome with Nematode-Protectant Seed Treatments Across Multiple Environments in Soybean.

As soybean (Glycine max) production continues to expand in the United States and Canada, so do pathogens and pests that directly threaten soybean yield potential and economic returns for farmers. One such pathogen is the soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines). SCN has traditionally been managed using SCN-resistant cultivars and rotation with nonhost crops, but the interaction of SCN with sudden death syndrome (SDS; caused by Fusarium virguliforme) in the field makes management more difficult. Nematode-protectant seed treatments have become options for SCN and SDS management. The objectives of this study were to evaluate nematode-protectant seed treatments for their effects on (i) early and full season SCN reproduction, (ii) foliar symptoms and root-rot caused by SDS, and (iii) soybean yield across environments accounting for the above factors. Using a standard protocol, field trials were implemented in 13 states and one Canadian province from 2019 to 2021 constituting 51 site-years. Six nematode-protectant seed treatment products were compared with a fungicide + insecticide base treatment and a nontreated check. Initial (at soybean planting) and final (at soybean harvest) SCN egg populations were enumerated, and SCN females were extracted from roots and counted at 30 to 35 days postplanting. Foliar disease index (FDX) and root rot caused by the SDS pathogen were evaluated, and yield data were collected for each plot. No seed treatment offered significant nematode control versus the nontreated check for in-season and full-season nematode response, no matter the initial SCN population or FDX level. Of all treatments, ILEVO (fluopyram) and Saltro (pydiflumetofen) provided more consistent increases in yield over the nontreated check in a broader range of SCN environments, even when FDX level was high.

Assessing Direct and Residual Effects of Cover Crops on the Soybean Cyst Nematode, Heterodera glycines.

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine if cover crops directly decrease population densities of the soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, and/or have residual effects on reproduction of the nematode on soybean (Glycine max). Population densities of SCN were not significantly decreased by nine cover crop plants or three cover crop mixes compared with a non-planted soil control in a repeated 60-day-long greenhouse experiment. When susceptible soybeans were grown in the soils after cover crop growth, fewer SCN females formed after three annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) cultivars (Bounty, King, and RootMax), the Daikon radish (Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus) cultivar CCS779, Kodiak mustard (Brassica juncea), and a mix containing cereal rye, crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum), plus Daikon radish (cultivars not stated) compared with following the non-planted control. In another repeated experiment, cover crops were grown for 56 days in SCN-infested soil in the greenhouse then exposed to Iowa winter conditions for 28 days to simulate winter termination of the plants. One treatment, a cover crop mix containing 'Bounty' annual ryegrass plus 'Enricher' Daikon radish, had a decrease in SCN population density greater than the non-planted control at the end of the experiment. Significantly fewer SCN females formed on soybeans grown after several cover crops, including the three annual ryegrass cultivars that had the suppressive residual effects in the first experiment. In summary, there were no cover crop treatments that consistently decreased SCN population densities across experiments, and only one cover crop treatment in one experiment significantly reduced SCN population densities more than a non-planted soil control. However, there was a somewhat consistent, adverse, residual effect of cover crops on reproduction of SCN on susceptible soybeans after growth of multiple cover crops.

A Mechanistic Approach To Assessing the Potential for Cover Crops To Serve as Trap Crops for the Soybean Cyst Nematode.

The effects of cover crops on the biology of the soybean cyst nematode (SCN; Heterodera glycines) are not well established. It is possible that cover crops may reduce SCN population densities by acting as trap crops. Cover crops with potential to serve as trap crops may stimulate hatching and/or attract hatched SCN juveniles and also may be penetrated by large numbers of nematodes that cannot feed. Experiments were conducted to determine whether root exudates (REs) and soil leachates (SLs) from various cover crop plants affected SCN hatching and chemotaxis and if there were significant differences in SCN juvenile root penetration among different cover crop plant types. In 14-day-long hatching experiments, there was greater SCN hatching in crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) REs and SLs than in REs and SLs from all other cover crop treatments in the experiments. No other cover crop REs and SLs significantly affected hatching. In chemotaxis experiments, SCN juveniles were attracted to REs and SLs from annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) and cereal rye (Secale cereale) after 24 h. In greenhouse experiments, significantly more SCN juveniles penetrated the roots of single cultivars of crimson clover, mustard (Brassica juncea), and rapeseed (B. napus) than 11 other cover crop species/cultivars evaluated in the experiment over the course of 20 days. Few SCN juveniles penetrated the roots of annual ryegrass and cereal rye. The results suggest that crimson clover, grown as a cover crop, has the most potential to act as a trap crop for SCN. Cover crop plants may affect SCN biology in ways other than the mechanisms investigated in these experiments.