2023 Soybean Field Season and White Mold

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Excerpt:

In Wisconsin, the first couple of weeks of July brings us a heightened awareness of white mold in soybeans, and its management. The 2022 season in Wisconsin resulted in some pockets of white mold in the state. If the weather becomes conducive in 2023, do get caught being complacent even though it seems to be too dry for white mold right now. While conditions have been hot and dry across most of the state, cooler and wetter weather could prevail in coming weeks. Currently the risk is high for much of the state, but falling rapidly due too dry conditions.

The white mold fungus infects soybeans through open and senescing flowers, by spores that are born from small mushroom-like structures called apothecia. If the bloom period gets extended due to cool weather, this can lead to an extended window for infection by the fungus. Often cool weather is a double whammy as it is good for the white mold fungus and slows down soybean crop development, thereby extending bloom. Watch out if the weather suddenly changes!

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