With over 50% of the North Carolina soybean crop now in reproductive stages, it’s time to begin thinking about how disease pressure may affect the yield of your crop. Scouting is critical to determine which diseases are present and if a fungicide application may be helpful in protecting yield. A number of diseases are common…
From the office of Jim Dunphy, Crop Science Extension Specialist (Soybeans) and Lindsey Thiessen, Extension Plant Pathologist Asiatic Soybean Rust has been confirmed in Tift County, Georgia, earlier today, on soybeans in a Sentinel plot. This is the first find of rust on soybeans in Georgia this year, and is approximately 260 miles from Murphy, NC,…
Frogeye leaf spot (FLS) is a common foliar disease in North Carolina soybeans especially in our Northeastern and Piedmont counties. Frogeye leaf spot is a fungus caused by the pathogen Cercospora sojina. It can infect soybean plants at any stage of development, but disease most often occurs after flowering. The disease is most serious during…
This post is the third article in a series reporting the results of a research project funded by the North Carolina Soybean Producers Association through the soy checkoff to begin to answer the question “are fungicide applications a smart investment?” To do so, the project examined the cost of each product coupled with the application…
This article is the second in a series about research the NCSPA conducted with funding from soy checkoff in 2014 and 2015 to investigate fungicide application, timing and effectiveness. This post presents the results of the research projects. It is important to review the findings in the context of the weather in 2014 and 2015.…
“Should I apply a foliar fungicide and if so, when?” is a question North Carolina soybean growers struggle with every year. Application of a foliar fungicide can help reduce disease pressure and protect yield potential, but they are costly. With low commodity prices, growers are looking to reduce costs. Are fungicides a smart investment? To…