Soybean is a highly valuable crop in the North Central U.S., but it consistently faces threats from various pathogens, which are exacerbated by changing climate conditions like milder winters and increasingly humid seasonsa,b. These environmental shifts facilitate the emergence and spread of diseases such as frogeye leaf spot and white mold, previously considered rare in certain areas, and the introduction of new threats like red crown rot in states like Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. To maintain productivity, farmers have increased their use of inputs such as seed treatments, multiple foliar fungicide applications, and pushing maturity groups to name a few. However, these practices raise concerns about increased costs and the potential for developing resistant pathogen populations. Evaluating the impacts of both high-intensity and low-intensity disease management strategies is crucial to determine the most effective practices for optimal disease control, yield, and economic return under varying conditions.
The market has recently seen a surge in biological control products, including beneficial microbes like bacteria and fungi, which offer more sustainable alternatives to chemical controlsc. Despite their potential, the field efficacy and economic feasibility of these biological products in soybean production are not well-established, raising questions about their practical utility compared to traditional chemical products. Furthermore, recent survey results from Nebraska have revealed significant gaps in the current management practices, such as unexpectedly high fungicide application rates and limited knowledge of fungicide modes of actiond. These findings indicate a pressing need for enhanced educational outreach and research to refine disease management strategies and prevent the escalation of fungicide-resistant pathogens.
In response to these challenges, we propose a collaborative multi-state project to survey regional soybean farmers. This initiative aims to gather detailed insights into the current management practices and the decision-making processes influencing those practices. By directly engaging with farmers and crop consultants, we can identify prevalent misconceptions and knowledge gaps that affect the efficacy and sustainability of management resources like fungicides and resistance genes. The insights gained from this survey will inform targeted research and extension efforts, ultimately leading to more sustainable soybean production practices across the North Central region. This project will not only improve our understanding of current management techniques but also establish a foundation for future research and the development of new, effective disease management proposals.

Objective 1: Integrated Disease Management Efficacy and Economic Viability
1a. High- vs. Low-Intensity Management Trials
We will run three-year, multi-site field trials comparing “high-intensity” strategies (e.g., multiple fungicide applications, seed treatments, and manipulating maturity groups) against minimal or no treatment. Each site’s yield, disease incidence, and associated costs will be tracked to determine the conditions under which each management intensity optimizes ROI. By doing so, we aim to offer farmers tailored recommendations for profitable, environment-specific disease management.
1b. Uniform Fungicide Trials
Building on established efficacy protocols, participating co-PIs will annually evaluate new and existing fungicide products across multiple environments. These data will inform regional updates to fungicide efficacy tables and provide a robust foundation for practical recommendations. In addition, the uniform approach will help pinpoint product performance under emerging disease challenges.
1c. Economic Analysis of Fungicide Trials
We will collect historical uniform fungicide trial results alongside new data, performing an economic meta-analysis to map ROI across various locations and weather patterns. This effort will reveal which fungicides perform best under differing temperature, rainfall, and humidity conditions, yielding environment-specific guidance. Ultimately, these findings will complement Objective 1a by identifying where intensive fungicide use is financially advantageous.
Objective 2: Biologicals Uniform Fungicide Trials
2a. Evaluating Biological Controls for White Mold
Yearly multi-location trials will pit biological fungicides against a known, highly effective chemical control and an untreated check. Researchers will gauge both disease incidence and yield, running partial profit analyses to assess cost-effectiveness. This will clarify the viability of biological products for white mold under real-world conditions.
2b & 2c. Biological Seed Treatments (Oomycetes & SDS)
We will explore the efficacy of biological seed treatments against key pathogens—Phytophthora, Pythium (2b), and Fusarium virguliforme, the causal agent of sudden death syndrome (2c). Trials will be conducted at sites either inoculated with or naturally containing these pathogens, measuring stand counts, disease severity, and yield. Each product’s profitability will be evaluated, guiding farmers on whether and when biological seed treatments make economic sense.
Objective 3: Soybean Farmer Survey
We will develop a survey aimed at understanding how farmers choose disease management tactics. This includes measuring their familiarity with fungicide modes of action, adoption of biological products, cost considerations, and perceived risks or benefits. Survey results will illuminate how economic and social factors influence on-farm decisions, steering future Extension content and possibly shaping new research directions.
Objective 4: Extension Materials and Decision Tools
4a. Development of Extension Material
Each season, participating co-PIs will compile data from their trials, leading to updated or newly created efficacy tables for both chemical fungicides and biological products. These resources will be disseminated through Extension events, digital platforms, Soybean Research Information Network (SRIN), and the Crop Protection Network (CPN), ensuring farmers and agronomists have access to the latest findings on product performance and best practices.
4b. Creation of ROI Decision Tools
Leveraging economic insights from Objective 1c, we will build and host interactive calculators for key soybean diseases—initially white mold and frogeye leaf spot. By entering product costs, grain prices, and expected yields, farmers will receive rapid estimates of likely returns. Promoted through channels like SRIN, these tools will empower farmers to compare products more effectively and bolster profitable disease management decisions.

The first major deliverable from this project will be a comprehensive set of uniform field trial data and analyses. By comparing high- versus low-intensity management regimes (Objective 1a), we will collect annual and multi-year information on yield, disease severity, and economic outcomes across a wide variety of environments. Additionally, fungicide efficacy trials (Objectives 1b and 1c) will focus on product performance using both existing and emerging commercial fungicides, leading to a meta-analysis to pinpoint what conditions and products result in the greatest return on investment. These trials will also include testing new biological control products (Objective 2), measuring the stand establishment, disease suppression, and yield benefits of such treatments for white mold, oomycetes, and sudden death syndrome (SDS).
By synthesizing large datasets from multiple years and locations, the second key deliverable is the creation of user-friendly economic and return on investment (ROI) tools. From Objective 1c, the meta-analyses will highlight fungicide efficacy across diverse climatic and agronomic variables, building on results from the uniform field trials. These insights will lead to the creation of a new ROI calculator (Objective 4b), allowing farmers to enter local costs, grain prices, and projected yields to estimate the probability of profitable returns for specific management choices. As a result, soybean farmers will be equipped to make data-driven decisions and optimize input expenditure.
The third deliverable centers on the survey of soybean farmers disease management decisions (Objective 3). This regional survey will capture producers’ experiences with, and perspectives on, fungicide applications, biological products, and the economic and environmental considerations behind their choices. By analyzing responses on knowledge gaps, common misconceptions, and influences on decision-making, the project team can provide targeted recommendations for both future research and Extension outreach. The resulting data will serve as a baseline for understanding how real-world implementation compares to best practices identified through field trials.
Fourth, new and regularly updated Extension materials will directly translate project findings into accessible resources for growers and agribusiness professionals. Annual data from Objectives 1 and 2 will be condensed into user-friendly formats, such as updated efficacy tables for chemical and biological products. These tables will offer side-by-side comparisons of product performance on white mold, oomycetes, SDS, and other critical pathogens. The results will be distributed through winter meetings, field demonstrations, and partnerships with the Soybean Research and Information Network (SRIN) and the Crop Protection Network, ensuring that all stakeholders have timely access to the latest recommendations.
Fifth, project outcomes will appear in peer-reviewed scientific journals. These publications will extend the impact of the research with the broader scientific and agricultural community

This project delivers powerful decision-making support for farmers looking to refine their disease management practices. By comparing high- and low-intensity strategies, growers will discover which combinations of fungicides, seed treatments, and cultural techniques are most likely to offer a profitable return under their specific environmental conditions. Leveraging multi-year, multi-state trial data means that recommendations can be tailored to diverse climates and production systems, ensuring that farmers receive regionally relevant guidelines rather than one-size-fits-all recommendations.
Additionally, the new and refined decision-support tools, most notably the ROI calculators, put real-time economic data at farmers’ fingertips. Instead of guessing, farmers can input local costs and grain prices to obtain instant estimates of which chemical applications will potentially bring the highest probability of economic gain. This clarity helps farmers avoid unnecessary expenses and better target investments in fungicides or biological products, protecting both yields and profit margins.
Another key benefit is the expansion of reliable, research-based information on biological control products. With the growing demand for sustainable solutions, many producers are curious about these newer technologies yet lack consistent field data to guide adoption. The project’s uniform trials on white mold, seedling diseases, and sudden death syndrome will provide a wealth of practical, unbiased performance data, giving farmers a clear sense of how well biologicals stack up against conventional controls.
The comprehensive survey of farmer practices ensures that the research remains grounded in real-world challenges. By capturing insights into why farmers make certain decisions and what knowledge gaps persist, the project team can craft targeted Extension resources, updated efficacy tables, fact sheets, and webinars that directly address farmer needs. This streamlined communication will enable farmers to apply project findings quickly and effectively.
Finally, the multi-state collaboration allows for an established team of pathologists prepared for rapid responses to evolving threats. As new diseases emerge and greater changes in production systems occur, this established network of plant pathologists and Extension specialists will be able to share data, solutions, and strategies across state lines. In doing so, the project builds a supportive infrastructure that keeps soybean farmers well-prepared, profitable, and competitive in the face of changing agricultural landscapes.