Known as the billion-dollar pest, soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is reported to annually cost North American soybean producers $1.5 billion in lost yield. This project provides free SCN soil sampling to understand presence, population and response to available varietal resistance. To request a sampling kit, farmers should email freeSCNtesting@illinois.edu or visit http://fieldadvisor.org/scntesting for more information. The kit contains soil bags, sampling instructions and a sample entry form.

• Where is SCN located across Illinois farm fields?
• How prevalent are SCN populations within those fields?
• How effective are available varietal resistance traits on each population?

• SCN has earned the title of #1 soybean pathogen not just because of the economic loss it inflicts, but also because of its adaptability in overcoming varietal resistance.
• Despite this threat, farmers are challenged with management because SCN is an unseen pest that requires soil sampling to detect its presence and population level, which translates into added costs for farmers.
• Providing free sampling offsets the burden on input costs while making visible the presence and density of SCN across Illinois’ fields, as well as how rapidly SCN is adapting to varietal resistance traits.

• Free SCN testing will help farmers understand where nematodes are present on their farms and to what level.
• Farmers can incorporate information from this project into their SCN management planning. It can help inform which varieties to plant in which fields, if supplemental chemical control mechanisms are needed, and where they need to implement cultural controls like planting non-host crops to help reduce high densities of SCN.

• Dr. Nathan Schroeder, Associate Professor, UIUC

• Targeting all counties in Illinois

Dr. Nathan Schroeder
Associate Professor
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
217-244-6128
nes@illinois.edu