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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. Before planting soybeans, it's a good idea to get a jump on those nasty pathogens. So today, we're talking about seed treatment with Wade Webster, NDSU Extension plant pathologist. Wade, what sort of seedling disease risk is out there?
Wade Webster:Yeah. So as we go into the 2026 growing season, one of the things that we're gonna have to focus on think about is those seedling diseases that we deal with early in the season. Across most of the state right now in the region, we have plenty of soil moisture going into planting season, so my expectation is that we will have some seedling disease pressure. Now these seedling diseases, they are multi groups. First, we have our true fungi, which are Rhizoctonia and Fusarium species. Now those are not the same as the Pythium and Phytophthras. Those are what we call water molds. And those are different groups of organisms which are gonna be important for making management decisions.
Bruce Sundeen:What's the best way to fight those diseases?
Wade Webster:Yeah. So to manage those seedling diseases, unfortunately don't have a lot of genetic resistance, so our varieties are generally susceptible to all of those except for Phytophthora. Phytophthora, we do have some resistance genes called RPS or field tolerance. However, those field tolerance, that does not take effect until about the v two growth stage, so it doesn't help with that protection of the seed and the initial seedling itself. Now we do have chemical seed treatments or fungicides that can be useful for these, and that is going to be really beneficial. These seed treatments, they can essentially protect that seed for up to about two weeks, but after two weeks, we don't see the efficacy of that product last any longer than that.
Bruce Sundeen:Are seed treatments all the same?
Wade Webster:Yes. Seed treatments are not all the same. And this is what one of the important parts is is because depending on which pathogens we have, if they're true fungi, we're going to need different products than if we're dealing with water molds. There are two different groups. We have fungicides and what we call oomycides for these water mold pathogens. If we have a seed treatment, which most of our soybean varieties will have as we go in to buy those seed, we may need to do a topper upper. So understanding of what is actually on that seed for that seed treatment is important because if we know we have had issues with Pythium or Phytophthora in the past, we may need to add an additional product on top of that seed treatment for full coverage.
Bruce Sundeen:Wade, are there any other pathogens you can use seed treatment for?
Wade Webster:One of the additional pathogens that is oftentimes overlooked early season with seed treatments is soybean cyst nematode. Now SCN is one of the major issues that we deal with, and seed treatments may be a good option for these. Thankfully, we do have a couple of products that show consistently some favorable results, especially with yield response in many field trials, And so these are Alevo and Saltro, and then we also have a new product on market this year called Victrado. All three of those products are all fairly comparable within our trials, and we do see good control of that SCN. However, these products, just like our fungicides, these are only gonna last for about two, two and a half weeks of activity. So it's not gonna completely eliminate eliminate that SCN that's in the field, but it will slow down that first generation.
Bruce Sundeen:Wade, how can farmers learn more about seed treatments?
Wade Webster:Yeah. So seed treatments are all available through the NDSU plant disease management guide. We have all the fungicide and seed treatment recommendations that are in there and everything that is commercially available. Another great resource is the crop protection network. We have our soybean seedling fungicide efficacy tables on there that help break down each active ingredient and the efficacy rating that we give for those products for each particular pathogen.
Bruce Sundeen:Thanks, Wade. Our guest has been Wade Webster, NDSU Extension plant pathologist. 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.