Sudden Death Syndrome In Soybeans

My friends across the US are reporting more SDS or Sudden Death Syndrome in soybeans each day.  I hear their concern, it knocked 15 pods per plant off my then record crop in 2008.  It was my first chance to break 100 bushels per acre and SDS prevented me from achieving my goal.

"Sudden death syndrome (SDS) of soybean was first discovered in 1971 in Arkansas and since then has been confirmed throughout most soybean-growing areas of the U.S. SDS is a fungal disease that also occurs in a disease complex with the soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines). SDS is among the most devastating soil-borne diseases of soybean in the USA. When this disease occurs in the presence of SCN disease symptoms occur earlier and are more severe. Disease symptoms are most pronounced after flowering.

Symptoms and Signs

Sudden death syndrome (SDS) of soybean is typically not detectable on the foliage of plants until after the beginning of flowering. Under rare circumstances younger plants may show symptoms. It is always useful to compare the affected plants with healthy plants of the same field when making disease assessments.

Planting date is crucial to achieving big yields but also increases the risk of SDS.  I've never seen SDS in double crop soybeans, they are planted that late.

No-Till and cover crops are your best option.  I did both in 2008 but I planted so early and the varieties I planted were race horse varieties that could not hold up under the infection.  My inoculant/SabrEx strips yielded up to 15 bushels more that year so I have always highly recommended a good inoculant like ABM's along with their strains of trichaderma fungi in SabrEx.

Good drainage is always important but the easiest way to get enough atmospheric air into the soil I've found is gypsum.  1000 lbs or so every fall really decreases the incidence of SDS.

Every year brings its problems and this year it's Soybean Death Syndrome.

I don't think you will find any SDS in Keith's beans.  I was looking for this picture and it was dated today in 2006.

Ed