Free SCN Testing Offered Through MU Extension

Missouri farmers can submit two free tests for soybean cyst nematode by contacting their local University of Missouri Extension Center or the SCN Diagnostic laboratory.

United Soybean Board checkoff dollars fund up to two free tests for Missouri farmers as part of the SCN Coalition efforts to raise awareness of SCN. The SCN Coalition is a public-private partnership of university researchers, extension specialists, and industry representatives.

SCN is the No. 1 soybean disease in the U.S. and Canada, with yield losses up to 30% per infected acre. Symptoms include stunted growth and yellowing, but yield loss can happen even when there are no visible symptoms.

SCN quickly began spreading through Missouri in the 1970s and gained a foothold in most of the state’s soybean-growing counties by the 1990s. SCN is easily transported in soil; cysts and eggs spread via equipment, water or wind.

University of Missouri plant pathologists suggest sampling every three to five years.