Soybean Farmers Learn About Efforts to Combat Soybean Cyst Nematode

The SCN Coalition has been active since 2016

FARGO, N.D. — At one of three North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP) conferences every year, soybean farmers from 12 different states come together to see the latest updates on soybean technology.

“We always have really good turnout, we always have a really good commitment, there’s great camaraderie among these farmers, and they all are very, very dedicated to working together,” said Ed Anderson, the Executive Director of the NCSRP.

But a small pest feeding off soybeans might cripple this camaraderie and good feelings for growers down the road.

“Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is a parasitic worm, and what it does is it moves when equipment moves through the soil, it moves through flooding water, and what happens is it grows and reproduces on the soybean root. Once it does that, it’s essentially a parasite,” said Dr. Sam Markell, an extension plant pathologist at NDSU.

Across the nation, SCN causes $1 billion in soybean yield loss every year, and the nematode is spreading across North Dakota.

To combat this sudden growth, university researchers came together to form the SCN Coalition two years ago.

With funding from several corporations, their goal is to wipe out the parasite from hurting further soybean yields.

“This is a problem almost everyone has. It’s just really getting into our region over the last decade. We can learn from a lot of those states. We’ve got tools that we can manage this,” said Dr. Markell.

For farmers in North Dakota, having this knowledge is important in order to protect their soybean production.

“It’s really exploding I think here in the eastern part of the state and the valley, and it’s probably more of a statewide problem, so we have research on that, and helping make them aware is a big next step for us,” said Mike Schlosser, a farmer from Edgeley who also serves on the North Dakota Soybean Council.

NDSU is one of the member institutions that are involved with the SCN Coalition.

The NCSRP conference wraps up Thursday.