By KAREN BINDER
Illinois Correspondent

MOUNT VERNON, Ill. — University of Illinois nematologist Terry Niblack teased everyone to “chant along with me” about the necessity of sampling for soybean cyst nematodes (SCN).

While 93 percent of the 150 people attending the first of six UoI extension Soybean and Corn Classic gatherings last week in Mount Vernon agreed SCN is “a major problem in Illinois,” in the past five years only 36 percent of them have tested their fields for SCN infestation levels, while 40 percent never have.

“You’ve been hearing about this for years,” Niblack explained. “It’s like high blood pressure; you can’t see it until you die.”

That is why she is emphasizing a “return to the basics” in three steps when it comes to SCN management:

Take the test, beat the pest. Roughly 84 percent of Illinois fields are infested. “Remember this campaign from years ago,” she challenged the group. “You must sample. We know this because you told us you’re not sampling.”

Use of SCN-resistant seed varieties is just one part of a management program, Niblack said, adding that SCN is highly adaptive and develops its own way to overcome the seed resistance.

Sample, sample, sample. Producers should know the SCN numbers in their fields to ensure their management programs are effective. “It’s easier to keep numbers low than try to drive down high numbers,” Niblack stressed.

SCN can cause 30 percent or more yield loss without any visible symptoms, a fact that Niblack said should be reason enough to test.

Test regularly and test with use of all seed varieties. Recognizing SCN is adaptive, regular testing can help detect when the pest is increasing. “There’s no immune soybean varieties,” Niblack said, “but you can rotate, rotate, rotate.”

UoI extension hosts a website called the Variety Information Program for Soybeans where farmers can learn the latest about the most resistant seed varieties. The site can be found at www.vipsoybeans.org

SCN management wasn’t the only topic of discussion at the Classic. Producers, service executives and others heard about crop production, pest management and economics at the regional conferences, hosted annually at six sites throughout the state by the UoI for the past 12 years. Classic moderator and extension weed scientist Aaron Hager said the winter workshop is popular because of its one-stop feature to hear nine different experts at one location.

“It’s an educational program that continues the tradition of providing our clientele with the most current and timely information related to crop production and pest management,” Hager said.
Beginning with the Mount Vernon conference on Jan. 6, he said the same information was shared earlier this week in Champaign, Bloomington, Springfield, Moline and Malta.

“We’ve scheduled significant blocks of time to allow for questions and answers,” said Hager. “We really want to emphasize communication between the speakers and the participants.”

Showing up on the agenda were discussions about disease management with fungicides, rotation decisions, corn and soybean nematode management, managing nitrogen for profitability, acreage shifts needed in 2009 and “new age” soybean insect management. Besides Niblack, other scheduled speakers included extension specialists Carl Bradley, Fabián Fernández, Darrel Good, Mike Gray and Kevin Steffey.