$1.6 Billion Lost to SCN and SDS Each Year

Soybean growers can fight below ground pressures with ILeVO seed treatment from Bayer

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Dec 04, 2017, 11:09 ET

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Dec. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Soybean growers are harvesting record yields but continue to face disease pressure. Total yearly economic losses due to Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) and Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) are staggering at $1.6 billion per year*.

Planning to use a seed treatment like ILeVO is a great way for growers to protect their investment and help ensure that SDS does not cause significant yield loss in the soybean crop.

Once in the field, SDS and SCN cannot be eliminated. SDS attacks the root and the pathogen can enter the plant within 72 hours of planting. Plants can experience root rot without any foliar SDS symptoms, and thus it is important to protect the root at the initial site of infection. Planning to use a seed treatment like ILeVO^® is a great way for growers to protect their investment and help ensure that SDS does not cause significant yield loss in the soybean crop.

Carl Bradley, University of Kentucky plant pathologist, said, "Growers do not always understand why yields are depressed; they will not necessarily see above-ground symptoms caused by SCN. Even if they dig up plants to look for SCN on the roots, they may be difficult to see. It is important that farmers collect soil samples in the Fall or after harvest and send them to a lab that can provide SCN egg count results. These results will help farmers better understand the risk of losing yield to SCN in those fields, which will help them make decisions on how to manage SCN for the next season and beyond."

SDS and SCN can cause yield loss and damage independently. However, when both are present, there can be even more severe yield loss. It is important to protect against SDS and SCN to reduce the yield loss potential. With ILeVO, growers fight below ground pressures before they can occur. The seed treatment defends against SDS and offers broad-spectrum protection from nematodes, including SCN, in the seed zone throughout the critical growing period. On average, growers see a two to 10-bushel yield advantage with ILeVO compared to a Fungicide/Insecticide base treatment.

"Using a seed treatment like ILeVO is critical, as soybeans are protected the moment they are planted and incur less risk from SDS and nematode damage, leading to increased yield potential," said Jeremiah Mullock, Bayer seed treatment product development manager.

For more information on how to select the right seed treatment for your variety, talk to your local Bayer representative or retailer, and visit https://www.cropscience.bayer.us/products/seedgrowth/ilevo.
*Based on USDA 2016–2017 marketing year projection for average soybean price of $9.10 per bushel.

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