Root knot nematode damage was scouted in soybeans at the R1 (beginning flower) growth stage. Soybeans exhibited stunted growth, dieback, yellow leaf discoloration, and root rot. This occured in patches across 25-50% of the site. This issue was confirmed by the NC State Plant Disease and Insect Clinic to be injury from root-knot nematodes. Other symptomology associated with root-knot nematodes in soybeans include non-uniform stunting, wilting, chlorotic patches, and galling found on the roots. In this environment damaging numbers of root-knot nematodes were recovered from the sample submitted.
After confirming the issue and the amount of nematode pressure, work to prevent further spread. Root knot nematodes have a diverse host range, which makes rotating to non-host crops difficult, but it can help decrease populations. Selecting a resistant variety is the most cost effective preventative measure.
