David Owens, Extension Entomologist, owensd@udel.edu
Congratulations to Michael Crossley for correctly identifying southern root knot nematode as the afflicting agent in last week’s pest challenge. This one was tricky, there are several reasons why soybeans are going to be stunted. The last 3-4 weeks have seen some areas inundated with excessive rainfall. Drown out spots are going to look similar – root growth is impacted. A few folks entered sudden death. There is a correlation between SDS and soybean cyst nematode. Root knot is one of our most important soybean pests in the area and has a very broad host range. Pulling up plants to look at the base of the stem for signs of fungal growth and looking at the roots for galling is a good idea for areas that are stunted.
