Not all soybean stem pests and diseases are well documented throughout the state, nor are their symptomology, yield impact, alternative hosts and conducive conditions well understood. As a result, researchers collected over 200 diseased stems across 59 counties in Illinois during 2022 and 2023. Growers were also surveyed to help gauge the presence and population levels of stem pests and diseases.

In this video, based on the collected data, Dr. Nick Seiter highlights dectes stem borer as a significant issue in no-till fields in south-central Illinois. Dr. Jason Bond also shares an update on prevalent diseases such as fusarium, stem-canker, and charcoal rot across different Illinois counties. Additionally, they explore management strategies to combat these insect pests and diseases.

Dr. Bond, a plant pathology professor at Southern Illinois University, and Dr. Seiter, an Assistant Professor & Field Crops Entomologist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, lead this multi-year study, supported by funding from the Illinois Soybean Association checkoff program.

The research team also comprises of Dr. Ahmad Fakhoury, Professor at SIU, Kelly Estes, State Survey Coordinator at the Illinois Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey Program (CAPS) at UIUC, Ashley Decker and Grayce Montano, Senior Research Specialists at UIUC, along with Danillo Leite, a PhD Student at SIU, and Will Foulke, a Master’s Student at UIUC. To learn more about this research project, visit www.ILSoyAdvisor.com/Research.