Managing White Mold in Soybeans

Top Strategies to Reduce Risk Prior To Planting, Post Planting, and Post Infection

Adapted from Ag PhD Radio Show

While there is no silver bullet approach for eliminating white mold in soybeans, it can be effectively managed through a multi-step process to limit yield loss. Below is a summary of the top practices for managing soybean white mold both prior to and post-planting:

Prior to Planting

• Crop Rotation: rotate non-host crops. Longer crop rotations with non-susceptible crops like corn will help reduce the level of inoculum (sclerotia) in the field. Sclerotia normally rests within two inches of the soil’s surface. To reduce the likelihood of white mold in soybeans year over year, it’s important to rotate other crops in. We don’t recommend tilling to bury sclerotia deeper into the soil, as some studies show this may actually do more harm than good. 

• Land Selection: select fields with good drainage/plant in your fields which do not have a history of white mold.

• Variety Selection: ask your seed dealer for a white mold tolerant seed variety.

• Consider lowering plant population: some studies have shown lower plant populations can help reduce white mold incidence by encouraging airflow.

• HAVE YOUR SEED DEALER APPLY HEADS UP® – The first EPA registered seed treatment for white mold and SDS, Heads Up offers a systemic, full season approach to help suppress white mold throughout the growing season. More information on Heads Up.

Post Planting

• Consider using a fungicide at the R1 – R3 growth stages.

• Consider a biofungicide in areas with a history of white mold (such as low/wet spots in the field).

Post Infection

• Make notes of highly infected areas for future planting consideration.

• Try to eliminate spreading the white mold sclerotia (survival structure) by harvesting heavily infected fields/areas last.

Make sure you’re thinking about your white mold strategy ahead of time!

• To learn more about white mold management practices, read Agtegra’s Tech Tips.  

• Listen to the Top White Mold Management Practices on Ag PhD Radio! (Starts at 38:00) 

• Watch “White Mold & How to Fight It” from  the Ag PhD Show!