Soybean charcoal rot can cost 20-30% in yield losses. With temperatures statistically higher than past years, charcoal rot in soybeans is proving to be a serious threat. In fact, warmer weather this summer presented new dilemmas for farmers in the Midwest. Regions that typically wouldn't have to worry now are being forced to scout for newer diseases. Soybean charcoal rot (Macro-phomina phaseolina), commonly considered a southern disease, has made its presence known in recent years in the northern regions of the U.S. Constant high temperatures and little or no moisture has caused charcoal rot to spread and flourish. A soybean plant can become infected from germinating sclerotia, the black spots that give the disease its name, at any point in its lifecycle - from the seedling stage all the way through maturity. "Although the disease is commonly associated with hot weather, actual infection can take place under relatively wet conditions," says Doug Jardine, a plant pathologist from Kansas State University. "The disease stays latent in the plant as long as we see adequate moisture throughout the season. Plants will grow fine and you won't even know it's there."
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