If you grow soybeans, you’re probably familiar with white mold disease, caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Sclerotinia survives in the soil for years, placing future crops at risk. Impossible to cure and tough to eliminate, systemic prevention is best. This article will break down how you can incorporate a natural treatment derived from quinoa hulls into your white mold management plan before your next planting season.
How white mold infects soybean plants
Spores infect soybean plants where the flowers have dried. When you have a susceptible host plant, Sclerotinia pathogens in the environment and high humidity, the conditions are right for white mold disease. As the infection progresses, the plant stems will thin and wilt, and the plant will die, leading to crop loss.
To learn more about white mold prevention in soybeans, the folks at Heads Up® Plant Protectants, a family-owned seed treatment company with the only EPA/PMRA registered seed treatment for suppression of both white mold and sudden death syndrome in soybeans, shared some insights.
1. How it works: Heads Up® is like a vaccine for plants
Heads Up® is a dry powder extract from quinoa hulls, which you mix with water and apply to seeds before planting. “It tricks the plant into thinking it’s been attacked, which triggers an immune response and boosts the plant’s defenses,” says Jared Cottenie, marketing manager at Heads Up® Plant Protectants. “It’s like a vaccine for plants.” This mode of action is called systemic acquired resistance, or S.A.R. When applied to quality seeds, Heads Up® activates the plant’s genetic resistance before disease begins, providing season-long protection.
2. A long history of field testing
Since they first tested their products on a neighbor’s struggling potato crop in the early 1990s, Heads Up® has placed a high value on product data. Their products are tested yearly by third parties. “We need reliable data. We can’t do our own research; it’s better to have someone trusted in the research field conduct studies,” says Cottenie.
3. Reduce your reliance on fungicides
Farmers often use fungicides to manage white mold, but one application won’t provide protection for the months soybean plants are susceptible to white mold. “Heads Up® works on its own and works well when combined with disease treatments with different modes of action, like fungicides, which attack disease,” says Cottenie. “Growers that just use fungicide might have to apply it multiple times. When they use Heads Up®, they only have to apply fungicide once or twice.”
4. Beneficial for organic growers
Heads Up® is OMRI Listed and can be used in certified organic production. As Cottenie explains, “Organic farmers don’t have much available to them. Our products are beneficial to the environment and people. We want our farmers to be safe and not worry about health concerns from using our products.”
5. Healthier plants and higher yields
So what can you expect at the end of the season if you use Heads Up®? According to Iowa State University research, soybean plants treated with Heads Up® have a lower overall incidence of disease, fewer diseased plants and a reduction in severity of white mold. Other studies demonstrated a 7 to 12 bu/ac increase in yield.
This naturally derived product will give your soybean plants’ immune system an advantage throughout the season and protect against white mold and sudden death syndrome. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Since there is no cure for white mold, an ounce of prevention is worth, well, acres of your crops.
