Why care about SCN. The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is the top yield limiting pathogen of soybean, responsible for an estimated 6.57 million bushels lost in Minnesota in 2019 alone. On a per acre basis, SCN costs us on average $8.25 (Crop Protection Network, 2021). Soybean root with small white arrows pointing to cysts of SCN. Cysts are female nematodes swollen with eggs. The higher the SCN population density (eggs in a little bit less than 1/2 cup soil) in a field, the more of both these microscopic worms there are to hatch and infect roots and the threat to soybean yield potential. Multiple SCN generations means that some of those eggs produced within the 2021 growing season can hatch and infect roots. We in northwest Minnesota have an additional risk factor that folks in much of the rest of the country do not have: alkaline soil pH. SCN population densities tend to rise faster, and be more resilient to drop -even when SCN is actively managed- in alkaline soils. It can be quite
Registration required: Private Pesticide Applicator Training programs geared toward farmers in northwest & west-central Minnesota
Text for this article was written by Tana Haugen-Brown, a UMN Extension pesticide safety and environmental education educator and co-coordinator. It originated from the private applicator training website . Applicators in need of license renewal in 2021 should have received an 8 page document through the mail that would have explained the four different ways that someone can recertify in 2021. Recertification workshops Regionally adapted workshops have been scheduled for those accustomed to attending workshops in a specific region. Register soon as a virtual spot is reserved for the first 50 people to register for a workshop and workshops that have fewer than 10 registrants will need to cancel. Northwest workshops Jan 26, 12:30 to 4:30 PM Jan 28, 8 AM to 12 PM Feb 1, 8 AM to 12 PM West-central workshops Feb 3, 12:30 to 4:30 PM Feb 11, 8 AM to 12 PM Feb 22, 8 AM to 12 PM Re