Northwest
Region
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NEWS RELEASE
By: Tim Baker
Northwest Region Horticulture Specialist
University of
Missouri Extension
102 Main, Suite 1
Gallatin, MO 64640
660-663-3232
BakerT@missouri.edu
Release Date: August 27, 2009
Title: “SDS found in Daviess County Soybean Field"
University of Missouri Extension is organized in the field as a specialist system. This was a great innovation, when Missouri first adopted it. Many states are still on the old “County Agent” system, where one person covers all agricultural disciplines for one county.
I like the specialist system. Although it means that I travel more miles covering multiple counties, I do get to specialize in horticulture. Since one person can’t know everything in agriculture, this ultimately gets the most knowledge to the people that need it. If someone has a problem with their livestock, for example, we have a Livestock Specialist who has had many years of training and experience to answer your question, and visit your farm if needed. And if that Livestock Specialist has a horticulture question… it’s referred to me. That’s a great system.
However, sometimes we need a quick answer. That’s where we all act as first responders. If that horticulture question in another county is urgent, the specialist in that county can take a quick photo and send it to me. Sometimes you can tell what is going on from the photo, but sometimes I may decide that a site visit is needed.
And that works the other way around. I recently visited a soybean field in Daviess County. The farmer had plants dying, and it seemed serious. Now while I have a plant science background as a horticulturist, I’m not well-versed in soybean disorders. So I took a quick trip to the field, took some photos, and collected some plant specimens. The very next day, I headed to a field day where our regional agronomists and one of our MU plant pathologists were gathered, to show them the plants.
I first showed our regional agronomist, Heather Benedict, the plants. “Looks like soybean sudden death syndrome to me,” she replied. She indicated that a second opinion from Dr. Laura Sweets, a MU plant pathologist, would be in order.
Dr. Sweets confirmed that it was indeed, soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS). Unfortunately, for the farmer, there is nothing that can be done at this point. SDS is caused by a fungal organism in the soil. It enters the plant through the root system, and grows through the root system into the stem. It usually doesn’t travel very far up the stem, but as it grows it releases toxins, which are translocated to the rest of the plant, including the leaves.
SDS can cause significant yield losses, but Dr. Sweets has never seen it take out an entire field. So while yield reduction is never good news, at least in most situations, there should still be a crop.
University of Missouri Extension has a great system of specialists in many disciplines. We’re here to answer your questions and find solutions to your problems. Just give us a call.University Extension programs are open to all
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