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Fall is a Good Time to Sample for SCN

Deciding on when to take soil samples depends on the objective for taking the sample. Diagnostic sampling to determine if SCN is present in a field can be done at any time of the year, providing that the sampling instrument can be inserted into the ground. This is usually done during the growing season when a grower notices a particular problem in the field. At this point no remedial management practices are available to the grower. On the other hand, predictive soil sampling is utilized to determine the nematode population levels and provide the grower with information that can be used in next years crop plans.

Sampling should be performed as close to harvest as possible and fall sampling takes into account any population changes that may have occurred during the growing season. A fall collection also provides the grower with more time to select and purchase a susceptible vs. resistant soybean cultivar or initiate a crop rotation program to minimize the economical impacts of SCN on soybean yields.