A strip trial comparing the use of fungicides versus no fungicides and the continuation of Scouting Schools to promote active disease management.

This project has two major goals:
1. Test the effectiveness of current, farmer-implemented fungicide applications in managing foliar fungicide diseases and increasing soybean yield.
2. Execute a series of disease scouting schools designed for farmers and Extension specialists that provides hands-on training of how to scout, rate, and sample for foliar diseases of soybean.

Goal 1) Reports will be generated for each site following the second scouting event and following harvest for each participating farmer. Additionally, the data generated will be added to the current dataset of fungicide strip trials which will be used to analyze the impacts multiple fungicide products across environments and soybean varieties over multiple years in Missouri.

Goal 2) Scouting schools will be implemented each year at 4 locations around the state of Missouri. These schools serve to help increase fungicide resistance awareness, decrease environmental impacts, and ultimately to improve management recommendations.

Since the beginning of this project, farmers have selected the fungicides used at each strip trial site, allowing for data specific to practices currently utilized by Missouri producers. As more data is added to the “MU Certified” Strip Trial program’s fungicide strip trial dataset each year, we are able to draw bigger conclusions about how different fungicide products and chemistries may perform under high and low disease pressure years. By adding more data to this growing dataset, information can be made available that will allow growers to make more informed decisions about fungicide applications in different environments that are specific to practices currently being employed in the state. All this data
is generated though active grower engagement and farmer-driven disease management trials.

In addition to production and yield benefits in the field, this project also aims toward benefiting Missouri farmers through disease management education. Those who attended Scouting Schools in the 2018 and 2019 season (the last to all be in person, no restrictions) noted they increased their understanding of how to best manage pathogen resistance to fungicides. Thus, these schools will benefit Missouri farmers through increasing fungicide resistance awareness, decreasing environmental impacts, and aiming to improve management recommendations.