Casual Agents and Management of Soybean Seedling Diseases

Seedling diseases are among the most widely distributed soybean diseases (Sinclair and Backman, 1989). Under field conditions favorable for seedling disease development, yield losses can be significant. As the use of no-till farming practices increases, there are increasing number of questions about potential problems of seedling disease in early planted soybean and in no-till soybean fields. Management of seedling diseases become an interesting topic for the soybean industry. In Iowa, no comprehensive survey on the causal agents of seedling disease has been conducted. Currently, seed treatment is the major method to control soybean seedling diseases, and effectiveness of the treatment relies on up-to-date information on the major causal agents