As growers begin looking ahead to 2023, its crucial to look back on where sudden death syndrome (SDS) appeared in soybeans this year. The combination of unpredictable weather and a history of SDS infection could mean challenges ahead in future soybean crops. Zach Trower, an agronomic service representative with Syngenta, talked about this season?s weather and SDS pressure in Iowa.
?I didn’t really think we would see a lot of SDS,? Trower said. ?We planted a lot later this year, soil temps rapidly climbed, it was a little wetter than I was expecting when we were planting, but soil temperatures rapidly climbed and that really made me feel confident that we weren’t going to see some SDS. But we still did see some SDS in that really early planted stuff, maybe stuff that was planted in April, a little bit less than optimum planting conditions, a little wetter, a little bit colder soil temps, and we still did see some SDS pressure out there from the majority of it. I don’t think we saw a lot, but we definitely did see some SDS, and we did get some of those rainfalls in certain parts of the state where maybe they planted a little bit wetter. There was a little bit more compaction, and then we got a lot of rainfall that really drove that SDS up.?
SDS can overwinter, so fields with a history of the disease are at higher risk of infection during planting. However, Trower said there are things farmers can do to prevent that.
?As we continue to move forward and push those yields, I think we got to continue to move forward and in protecting these plants,? Trower said. ?Making sure that we’re choosing soybeans that have a good SDS score on them is the first step and it’s so critical to make sure that we have that, otherwise you’re already starting off on the wrong foot in beginning of the season. But after that, making sure that we protect it with a good seed treatment. Saltro Seed Treatment is going to be really that best-in-class SDS, but also SCN protection, which can help flare up that SDS infection early on. So, making sure that we’re using that right seed treatment that’s crop-safe, but also is going to give us that best-in-class protection is really critical, and that’s where I really look at Saltro Seed Treatment for that early-season protection.?
Trower also talked about his recommended seed treatment for protecting soybeans from SDS.
?Saltro, it’s got that best-in-class protection, but, again, that crop safety is so critical, and can’t really emphasize that enough,? Trower said. ?As we continue to plant earlier with lower populations, we can’t be risking that stand with something that we’re trying to protect it with and maybe causing phytotoxicity, maybe causing stand loss. And that’s why when we look at these older SDS treatments or maybe compared to Saltro Seed Treatment, we don’t see that with Saltro. So, I really emphasize with guys that we have to look at the system as a whole, and we make one change, maybe you’re trying to plant a little bit earlier, there’s a lot of things that change with it. It’s not just one simple change of what we’re doing, it’s how we have to change our whole concept approaching that. Really making sure that we add that extra level of protection is going to be really critical as we continue to shoot for these higher yields.?
For more information on Saltro, connect with your local reseller or Syngenta sales representative or visit WhySaltro.com.
