Monitoring Diseases and Fungicide Sensitivity
Soybean farmers rely on a combination of cultural practices, variety resistance and fungicides to manage diseases. Heather Kelly, professor and Extension specialist with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture, leads research to provide farmers the information they need to effectively use these tools. “We’ve developed and adapted our sentinel plot program to monitor soybean diseases and the pathogens’ sensitivity to common fungicides,” she says. “We also screen soybean varieties to understand their levels of disease resistance and fungicide efficacy to equip farmers to make sound management decisions.” The Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board invests checkoff dollars in supporting Kelly’s research.
