2017
Screening Cover Crops to Reduce Soybean Cyst Nematode in Infested Field
Contributor/Checkoff:
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
NematodePest
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Guiping Yan, North Dakota State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Marisol Berti, North Dakota State University
Samuel Markell, North Dakota State University
+1 More
Project Code:
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Institution Funded:
Brief Project Summary:

Soybean cyst nematode is an important disease of soybean in North Dakota and can cause 15-30% yield loss without obvious above-ground symptoms. This disease is quickly spreading in the state; 12 positive counties reported in 2014 grow to 19 counties in 2015. Managing SCN becomes crucial. Crop rotation and variety resistance are the major farming practices for control of SCN. However, crop rotation does not allow farmers to produce sufficient soybean every year. Resistant varieties could be short-lived because SCN is adapting to the resistance. Cover crops may provide an alternative means to manage SCN.
Cover crops may act as a biofumigant that can kill live nematodes when incorporated...

Unique Keywords:
#nematodes
Information And Results
Project Deliverables

Progress in this research is measured by the number of cover crops that can be screened for reducing SCN egg levels and for hosting abilities. Twenty six entries of cover crops will be evaluated under controlled greenhouse conditions and also outdoor field conditions. Some cover crops may reduce the population density of SCN from North Dakota. But the magnitude and consistency of the effects on SCN may vary among crop species and varieties. The best performing cover crops that are non-host of SCN and have great reductions on SCN numbers will be identified and recommended to soybean farmers.

Final Project Results

Update:

View uploaded report Word file

SCREENING COVER CROPS TO REDUCE SOYBEAN CYST NEMATODE IN INFESTED FIELD
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

NORTH DAKOTA SOYBEAN COUNCIL
June 2017

Dr. Guiping Yan, Principal Investigator, Dept. Plant Pathology, NDSU
Co-investigators: Dr. Marisol Berti, Dept. Plant Science, NDSU
Dr. Samuel Markell, Dept. Plant Pathology, NDSU

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, is one of the major pests of soybean production in North Dakota. This nematode not only infects soybean, but also invades other leguminous crops and weed species which help in the survival and increase of the nematode populations in the fields. Host resistance and crop rotation are commonly used practice to manage SCN, but limited sources of resistance have been used for developing resistant soybean cultivar, so an integrated management strategy, including cover crops, could be a best approach for SCN management. In addition to improving soil quality and ecosystem, cover crops are considered to have the ability to reduce plant-parasitic nematode populations in infested fields.

Our objectives were to evaluate the ability of cover crops for SCN host and population reduction in infested soils by performing greenhouse and microplot experiments using naturally infested soils from Cass and Richland counties of North Dakota.

Twenty-one cover crops and two susceptible soybean cultivars were planted in cone-tainers each containing 100 cm3 of infested soil and kept in a growth chamber at 27 oC for 35 days (Figure 1). SCN white females (cysts) were extracted from root and soil then counted under a microscope for evaluating SCN reproduction in each cover crop. Out of twenty-one cover crops evaluated in the greenhouse conditions, annual ryegrass, camelina, carinata, ethiopian cabbage, faba bean, foxtail millet, radish, rape dwarf essex, red clover, sweet clover, triticale, and winter rye did not support SCN reproduction. Cowpea, crimson clover and turnips showed very low reproduction (white females: 1 to 13), but Austrian winter pea, field pea, forage pea, and hairy vetch showed some levels of reproduction (white females: 13 to 173) compared to the susceptible soybean cultivars Barnes and Sheyenne (white females: 827 to 1,251).

Among 21 cover crops screened in the greenhouse, ten cover crops such as annual ryegrass, Austrian winter pea, carinata, faba bean, foxtail millet, radish, red clover, sweet clover, turnip, and winter rye were further selected for a microplot study. Cover crops were planted in pots, each containing 5 kg of soil from each of two naturally infested fields under natural conditions (Figure 2). After 75 days of growth, soil samples were collected from each pot. SCN eggs were extracted from 100 cm3 of soil and counted under the microscope then compared with the initial population density to evaluate the ability of each cover crop for population reduction.

In both field soils, all the tested cover crops except Austrian winter pea reduced the SCN populations compared to the non-planted control and susceptible soybean. Among those crops, radish and annual ryegrass were more effective than others on reducing SCN populations. Our preliminary results suggest that cover crops could be an alternative means of managing SCN in soybean fields, but screening of more cover crops, conducting field trials, and understanding the mechanisms of population reduction are necessary to make recommendations to grower for planting cover crops for managing soybean cyst nematode.

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.