Research Highlights

Pesticide Impact on White Mold (Sclerotinia Stem Rot) and Soybean Yield

White mold (Sclerotinia stem rot) is caused by the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and the disease frequently ranks among the top yield-reducing soybean diseases in the northern United States. Researchers estimate that white mold caused more than 101 million bushels of soybean yield loss (an estimated value $1.2 billion) in the U.S. and Ontario, Canada (Allen et al., 2017; USDA-NASS, 2017).

The pathogen can survive in the soil as sclerotia for a long time. Furthermore, S. slerotiorum has a broad host range. Both factors present major management challenges. Most commercial soybean cultivars exhibit little host resistance, so in-season management relies heavily on applying fungicides that protect the flowers
from infection.

Read the article just published on the Crop Protection Network website.

Published: Oct 19, 2019