By Ankita Prasad
One of Indiana’s most significant crops, the soybean, is under threat from a disease that is becoming increasingly widespread in the Midwest — Red crown rot.
Red crown rot is caused by a fungus called calonectria ilicicola, said Darcy Telenko, an associate professor of plant pathology. The disease is characterized by a dark red color present at the crown of the plant, where the root and stem meet, and infect the whole root system.
Historically, it has been present in fields in the Southern U.S., including Louisiana and Mississippi. In 2017, it was identified in the Midwest, in Illinois. Earlier this year, it was identified in Indiana, according to a press release from Purdue.
She said the disease spreads through infected soil, tillage, equipment and water movement, which causes it to move from field to field. This also means it can be hard to identify, since many soil-borne diseases have similar symptoms initially. Farmers must go out into their fields and look physically for roots affected by the disease.
Changing environmental conditions
Along with physical equipment affecting the spread, certain environmental conditions play a role, Telenko said, including the changing climate.
“Growers are pushing the envelope, so they are planning into conditions that may be more conducive for pathogens,” she said. “The conditions are changing in the spring, where we have warmer, wetter springs; so it is able to persist.”
Soybeans are not the only crop that can be affected.
According to a Purdue press release on the disease, any legume, which is defined to be a plant that produces seeds in the form of pods, can be infected. This includes alfalfa and peanuts.
Going forward
Telenko said consumers will not be affected directly, since the disease is not very widespread in Indiana yet, with only about 1% yield loss.
But for growers, it can be impactful. She further mentioned that for the entire U.S., there was over 50,000 bushels lost.
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