Shawn Conley, WI State Soybean and Wheat Extension Specialist

The UW Agronomy Department, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board, is again offering free SCN testing for Wisconsin growers. This program is intended for growers to sample up to three of their fields in order to identify if SCN is present and at what levels. Growers will be responsible for collecting soil from fields suspected to have SCN and then sending the sample to the SCN testing laboratory. They will receive a lab report back with the SCN egg count and a brochure to help plan future rotations and other cultural practices to lower the level of infestation.

We have a limited number of these free kits available and will furnish them on a first come - first served basis. Each kit has a bag and a prepaid mailer for one soil sample which should represent about 10-15 acres. Both the postage and lab fees are prepaid. Before or right after harvest are great times to collect soil samples for routine soil fertility analysis and for SCN monitoring.

Soil sample test kits are available now and can be requested from Colleen Smith at clsmith8@wisc.edu or at 608-262-7702.