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The NDSU Extension weekly podcast In the Pod: Soybean Updates delivers timely insights and expert advice on soybean production.
You're listening to In The Pod, Soybean Updates, a weekly trek into the latest soybean information from NDSU Extension. Some soybean farmers are experiencing major challenges with weather, IDC, and soybean aphids. The degree of challenge varies throughout North Dakota. Updating us on the Northeast Region is Anitha Chirumamilla, NDSU Extension cropping systems specialist. Anitha, how are the soybeans coming along in your area?
Anitha Chirumamilla:In the Northeast Region, we cover, like, about nine counties in our area. Right now, soybeans are not looking very good considering all the rain we had and the excess moisture. Depending upon the location, some got too much and some didn't get as much as needed. But the areas that received too much rainfall, definitely, the soybeans are struggling because there's a lot of IDC going on. Also, I want to give a little history of how we the season. As soon as soybeans went in, we got a heavy rain, and then that caused a lot of crusting issues. We we started with the challenge from the beginning. And then we had heavy winds, then there was so much sandblasting going on, and then then there was a hail. We had a rough start to begin with. And then those fields have survived. Now they're getting hammered with all this rain, and that's causing the IDC issues. However, I hope our extension agronomist, Anna Kurcedo, was saying our soybeans are not at a very susceptible stage that this IDC would, cause yield losses. We hope that these conditions will get better. All we need is some heat and some sunshine for these plants to get out of this situation. And, hopefully, we might not have any yield losses.
Bruce Sundeen:What's the white mold threat like this year?
Anitha Chirumamilla:So last year, unusually, we had a lot of white mold in soybeans. I've been here for almost ten years now, and this is the first time I saw a lot of white mold in soybeans. And it did take a significant yield loss to our farmers. I heard from our extension plant pathologist, like, this happens, you know, a phenomenon of, like, once in six or seven years when the all the conditions get right. And so that happened last year. I want the farmers to keep that in mind and be on the lookout for white mold. And I would ask them to look at our end on white mold prediction risk maps and make sure that you are looking for the conditions like your crop should be at the flowering stage and the canopy should be closed. And if the prediction map says you are at a medium or a high risk, you better start thinking about making a fungicide application. Right now, we are in the medium risk zone. There is a small pocket in the Southeast Of County and Northwest Of Walsh County that is in the high risk zone. But our crop is not yet at that flowering stage, so it should be okay. But I would ask farmers to follow the prediction maps and make sure you are considering those two factors to make your spraying decisions.
Bruce Sundeen:Anita, in your area, has the soybean aphid been busy?
Anitha Chirumamilla:Last year, we did see a few fields with high soybean aphid populations. Again, ask farmers to keep looking and keep scouting your fields for soybean aphids. They would start right around just as the flowers are approaching the r one stage or the flowering stage. That's when you will see them because aphids are migratory insects, and that's the usual time that we see soybean aphids beginning in our fields. Keep a watch on them and keep scouting regularly because soybean aphids can go from few numbers to hundreds and thousands in a few days. So just keep an eye on them.
Bruce Sundeen:Thanks, Anitha. Our guest has been Anitha Chirumamilla, NDSU Extension cropping systems specialist. You're listening to In the Pod, Soybean Updates, a weekly trek into the latest soybean information from NDSU Extension supported by the North Dakota Soybean Council.