From Agriculture Online: Some soybean growers could increase their profits by as much as $100 per acre or more, simply by planting the highest-yielding varieties with high levels of resistance to the specific type of soybean cyst nematode (SCN) found in their fields. This news is according to a news release on recent analysis of results from the variety trials conducted at the University of Illinois.

“The exact amount of increased profit in any given year will vary depending on the current price of soybeans,” said Terry Niblack, professor of cyst nematode management in the Department of Crop Sciences at the U of I.

“In 2004, the amount ranged from about $85 to nearly $115 per acre based on results from three different parts of the state,” she said.

She pointed out that those numbers resulted from a comparison between the highest-yielding resistant varieties matched to the SCN population in the field and lower-yielding varieties that were also highly resistant but not matched to a particular SCN population.

“It is important to note that this method will not work for everyone,” Niblack said. “It is effective only when the SCN pressure in a field is high. Another requirement is that SCN-resistant varieties have been grown in that field in the past because that is what allows the nematodes to adapt to the source of resistance.”

For growers who meet the criteria, the system requires only a few relatively simple steps to cash in on the increased profits.

The first step is to take a soil sample from an individual field. Details on the proper procedures for taking a sample and preparing it for shipment are available on the Web site for the Plant Health Initiative.

For information about where to send samples for testing and other related resources, the Plant Health Initiative web site also offers a list of resources.

How the SCN type test works

“We will do an egg count first,” Niblack said. “If the level is less than 3,000 eggs per 100 cubic centimeters of soil, then no further tests will be conducted. In such a case, the field does not meet the criteria for the system to work.”

Samples that pass the first step are then analyzed to determine the exact SCN type in a field. This greenhouse procedure takes a minimum of 30 days to complete.

“Once the test is completed, the next step is for growers to select one of the highest-yielding varieties with high resistance to the type of nematodes in a specific field,” Niblack said. “That information is readily available on the Web site for the Varietal Information Program for Soybeans, which is more commonly referred to as VIPS.” [Editor’s note: Site is for Illinois varieties and conditions only.]

VIPS serves as a tool for the analysis of the performance of soybean varieties. Funding for the site is provided by the Illinois Soybean Checkoff Board.

“VIPS provides a wide range of information on most of the soybean varieties included in the U of I’s variety trials conducted from 1998 to the present,” Niblack said. “Included in the variety comparisons is information on yields and protein and oil content, as well as resistance to various SCN types.”

She notes that the site provided performance data for more than 850 varieties from 72 seed companies in 2004. The latest results are posted on VIPS each year during the month of November.

“By following those steps, growers who meet the criteria can easily cash in with improved yields in their fields,” says Niblack. “The final step in the process is as simple as depositing the increased profits in the bank.”

SCN testing labs:

• Illinois

Nematology Lab
Department of Crop Sciences, AW101
Turner Hall
University of Illinois
Urbana, IL 61801

The cost is $20 for the egg count and $50 for the SCN type test. The final amount is billed directly to the person submitting the sample.

• Indiana

Nematology Laboratory
Department of Entomology
Smith Hall
Purdue University
901 W. State Street
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2089

Samples can be brought to the Nematology Laboratory (phone: 765-494-4611) on the second floor of the Entomology Environmental Laboratory (EEL) located behind Agricultural Administration (AGAD). Currently, the fee for processing of grower submitted samples (maximum of 10 samples/grower/year) is being paid by the Indiana Soybean Board from check-off funds.

Learn more at www.ppdl.purdue.edu/ppdl/.

• Iowa

Individual grower samples are processed by the ISU Plant Disease Clinic:
ISU Plant Disease Clinic
323 Bessey Hall
Ames, IA 50011
(515) 294-0581

You can download a submission form.

A soybean cyst nematode (SCN) egg count test is $15 ($20 out of state). A complete nematode count test is $15 ($20 out of state).

• Missouri

Plant Nematology Lab
46 Agriculture Building
Columbia, MO 65211
(573) 882-2716
(573) 884-9118

Tests available include the soybean cyst nematode count at $15 per sample, and the soybean cyst nematode HG type “race” (type) determination at $50 per sample ($100 per sample, out of state).

Learn more and download necessary forms.

• Nebraska

University of Nebraska Plant and Pest Diagnostic Clinic
448 Plant Sciences Hall
P.O. Box 830722
Lincoln, NE 68583-0722
Phone: (402) 472-2559
Fax: (402) 472-2853

The lab offers the SCN assay for $10.

Get necessary forms and feesK/a>.

• Ohio

C. Wayne Ellett Plant & Pest Diagnostic Clinic
Room 110, Kottman Hall
2021 Coffey Road
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH 43210

The lab charges a fee for sample processing of $15 per sample per shipment. You will receive a bill with your results.

Sampling procedures and necessary forms.
Many other state testing labs will perform SCN analysis. For contact information listed by state, visit the Web site of the American Phytopathological Society. Some commercial diagnostic laboratories do nematode analysis as well.

Source: News article on Agriculture Online 10/19/2005.