What to watch for in your fields this growing season

By Robert Waller, agronomist at Seed Genetics Direct

The growing season is underway, and it will be interesting to see what the rest of 2025 will bring us. We had a roller coaster start with temperatures and excessive rain in some areas. As always, you should consider planting conditions and timing when assessing your crop progress. Scout fields for uniform stands, note areas that show problems, and look for culprits that may reduce stands and vigor. In fields that are still wet, look for signs of Pythium (one of the most common early-season diseases) in less vigorous and wilting plants that may show darkened, water-soaked lesions near the soil surface. Phytophthora may become a problem in soybean fields as temperatures warm up, with dark brown lesions moving up the stem from the soil. Genetic resistance for Phytophthora is a good defense, yet does not provide protection to all races of this pathogen (there are over 50 identified).… Continue reading