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UP / Thumb of Michigan | At one time, there were a couple research people who were working on white mold prevention tactics. Their names escape me now, but I might try to look through some old notes.
Anyway:
There were a couple trains of thought. And some ideas I thought had merit.
1. Genetics of course is the first line of defense.
2. Cover. Back then, this alone was controversial. I think many have proven since then that the more cover you have, the less incidence of infection you can expect. No till helps. No-till + cover crops really helps. Idea was that the spores couldn't get through the residue to get at the flowers if you had effectively placed a roof over their heads with covers of some sort.
3. Another thought being studied then was sort of related to cover- but not because of the inability of the spores to reach the flowers. There was some indication that the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum was daylight sensitive, maybe more than moisture sensitive. So, what was being studied was that there might be potential that when the Sclerotinia reached the right temperature, it was then waiting for cover to do its thing. So, normally, in a clean till no cover field, the Scleractinia was able to wait for full canopy before releasing spores. In a No till field, especially with cover crops, the Sclerotinia was fooled into releasing spores, potentially hopefully before the flowers were present. If the spores are there with no flowers, no infection can happen.
I haven't heard anymore on that theory lately, so I don't know how it played out. If one thinks about it, though, it still could have at least a little merit. If they are in fact day light sensitive, narrow rows will obviously canopy earlier than wide. So, do narrow rows get more mold because of a moisture component, because of an air movement component, or is because of the earlier shading of the soil?
Anyway, if someone doesn't have a white mold history, you don't want one. It can be pretty devastating. And its a bit like some STD's- once you get it, you'll always have it.
Edited by pat-michigan 10/29/2025 12:09
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Strategies for White Mold in Soys.
