SDS prevalent this summer

Numerous reports have been received on the occurrence of soybean sudden death syndrome (SDS) in August in eastern and central Iowa. Reports came from producers, Iowa State University (ISU) extension staff, and agronomists of seed companies. As usual, the earliest reports were from eastern and southeastern Iowa; however, unlike in the 2000 growing season, more infected fields were found in central Iowa this year, with some reports from as far north as the Fort Dodge area. In central Iowa, some fields with SDS-infected plants are visible along highways. Fields planted in late April and early May seem to have higher disease incidence than later planted soybean