Soybean diseases like white mold, frogeye leaf spot, and sudden death syndrome are cutting into yield and farmer profit, especially with changing weather patterns. Farmers are using fungicides and biologicals more than ever, but it’s unclear which products and strategies will provide good return-on-investment (ROI). Through this project, researchers will conduct field trials across seven states comparing high- and low-intensity disease management strategies to help farmers improve ROI.
Objectives of this project include field trials across seven states that will compare high-intensity to low-intensity disease management and will include using seed treatments and foliar fungicides. Yield, disease development and input costs also will be evaluated to determine positive return-on-investment (ROI). Another objective is conducting field trials of biological fungicides for white mold and how well the products degrade overwintering sclerotia in the soil. The team will continue to develop disease control decision-making and ROI tools. They will survey farmers as to how they make decisions for disease control to learn of knowledge gaps, which can help direct outreach efforts.
This research will provide farmers with information on the efficacy of disease management practices and new tools they can use on their farms to improve disease management and increase overall profitability. Farmers will receive accessible and updated fungicide and biological control efficacy ratings, enabling them to choose effective products for white mold and sudden death syndrome. The development of new ROI decision tools will help farmers calculate the financial risks associated with different chemical applications, helping to optimize input costs with their personal expected yields. Additionally, a farmer survey will identify knowledge gaps, leading to the creation of targeted Extension materials regarding on-farm decision-making. By comparing high- and low-intensity management strategies, the project will examine which practices maximize yields and economic returns across different environments. Overall, this work will help set up farmers with the tools they can implement for success on their operations.