The UW-Madison Agronomy Department, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, is again offering free soybean cyst nematode (SCN) soil testing for Wisconsin growers. This program is intended for growers to sample several of their fields in order to identify if SCN is present and at what levels. Growers will be responsible for collecting soil from fields suspected to have SCN and then sending the sample to the SCN testing laboratory for analysis. They will receive a lab report back with the SCN egg count and a brochure to help plan future rotations and other cultural practices to lower SCN infestation if they exist.
There are a limited number of free kits available and they’ll be furnished on a first come-first serve basis at up to four per farm. Crop consultants, advisors and crop input retailers are encouraged to request kits for their client’s farms. Each kit has a bag and a prepaid mailer for one soil sample, which should represent about 10-15 acres. Both the postage and lab fees are prepaid ($50 value). Anytime before, during or right after the growing season are great times to collect soil samples for routine soil fertility analysis and for SCN monitoring.
Soil sample test kits are available now and can be requested from Amy Cottom at agcottom@wisc.edu or 608-262-1390.
For more information on SCN testing and management practices to help reduce the losses from this pest, please contact Shawn Conley: spconley@wisc.edu or 608-262-7975.