The purpose of this project is to mitigate soybean root diseases in Kansas. Therefore, the objectives and methods will be to (1) Discover resistance to fungal pathogens: SDS, Fusarium diseases, and charcoal rot through the use of high-throughput pathogenicity assays and field tests; (2) Evaluate management strategies for fungal pathogens: SDS, Fusarium diseases, and charcoal rot with emphasis on cover crops and testing fluopyram, a widespread fungicide; and (3) Assess the impact of a re-emerging root pathogen, Phytophthora sojae, in southeastern Kansas through the collection of isolates, testing agains commonly used fungicides, and establishing race information for this pathogen.

1. Discover resistance to fungal diseases: SDS, Fusarium diseases, and charcoal rot.
2. Evaluate management strategies for fungal diseases: SDS and Fusarium diseases.
3. Assess the impact of re-emerging root pathogens: Phytophthora sojae in southeastern KS.

(1) Identification of breeding lines, PIs, and commercial varieties with resistance to SDS, Fusarium root rot/seedling disease, and charcoal rot.
(2) Determine the effectiveness of management strategies, esp. the use of Brassica juncea cover crops on SDS and Fusarium root and seedling disease control.
(3) Develop a SEK Phyotophthora sojae that can be evaluated.
(4) Results obtained during the proposed studies (and subsequently repeated experiments) will be published in recognized scholarly journals.
(5) Useful information from these studies will be incorporated into future Kansas Research and Extension publications such as new and revised plant pathology fact sheet(s), new and/or revised crop production support guide(s), and Agronomy eUpdates.
(6) We will communicate these results to producers and stakeholders when extension personnel associated with the Department of Plant Pathology and KSRE that give presentations, training sessions and field days.
(7) Results will also be communicated on a regular basis on the K-State Radio Network program, Agriculture Today.

Update:
See attached fall report.

View uploaded report

Update:
See attached summary document.

From 2012 to 2020, SDS, Fusarium diseases, charcoal rot, and Phytophthora root rot cost Kansas soybean farmers an average of 7.8% of production per year. Through past KSC support, the Row Crops Pathology Lab at KSU has taken a leadership role in soybean root health research with an emphasis on diseases. Our priorities are the discovery of plant resistance, management strategies, and new disease information to help Kansas producers increase their yields and profits over the long-term.