Scottville, 49454 Northwest Michigan | Could this be an issue of when you irrigate? A lot of crop diseases show up when rain occurs at the least desirable time. I think with wheat for instance, if I get lots of rain at flag leave stage and after, I'm going to be more at risk for disease pressure and yield reduction. I assume the same might be true for white mold in soybeans. I also know from experience that varieties differ in their ability to resist white mold. Two years ago I had two different varieties in a field and we could tell right to the row which variety was which due to white mold. I don't think any variety is totally resistant to white mold, but some are definitely more resistant than others.
I'm not sure what stage of growth soybeans are most at risk for white mold infestation. Maybe someone else on this board could answer that. Also, there are some fungicides that I believe have shown some control measures with respect to white mold. Again, maybe someone else on this board can comment on that.
The more air that can move through the soys the less chance of white mold too. Therefore, wider rows and fewer plants should help fight off white mold.
gordon |
White mold and irrigating
