Prepare Now to Protect 2026 Yield

Every U.S. soybean production area has documented cyst nematode populations. Recommending a seed treatment plan that includes a nematicide will help ensure your growers aren’t losing money to these silent yield robbers.

“Soybean cyst nematode is the number one pathogen of soybeans,” says Dair McDuffee, product development manager for seed treatments at Valent U.S.A. “But the one thing it’s not number one in is visibility. It is an extremely hard pest to understand and see the effects of, which can be very challenging when trying to explain to your customers the impact these nematodes have on their crop.”

Often, underground nematode feeding appears as discolored plants or stunted areas of a field, mimicking water issues or nutrient deficiencies.

“It’s an unseen pest,” says Will Griffin, row crop segment manager for Valent U.S.A. “With other pests or pathogens, the injury and cause are readily identifiable. That’s not the case with nematodes.”

 

Identify and Plan

Post-harvest soil testing for nematodes is key to understanding what nematode species are infesting growers’ fields and what pressure level exists.

The Soybean Cyst Nematode Coalition’s Profit Checker is an online tool that further assists growers in calculating potential yield loss caused by nematode feeding.

As an example, McDuffee used the free online tool to calculate potential nematode-related yield loss for an Indiana soybean field with a low to medium SCN egg count and 20% sandy soil. With inputted factors historically conservative for the area, the calculator predicted a 6.8% yield loss.

“With other aspects of agriculture, if we understood that there was 7% yield difference we could affect, we would move heaven and earth trying to capture that,” McDuffee says. “Everyone is working on the margins right now, trying to get maximum returns.”

 

Multi-factor Control

While many currently available soybean varieties offer genetically built-in nematode resistance, that protection may be waning.

“A source of genetic resistance called PI-887/888 was a victim of its own success. It worked extremely well when it came out and had almost no negative aspects as it was incorporated into germplasm,” McDuffee says. “Over time, the nematodes adapted and learned to reproduce on soybeans with that source of resistance.”

With that in mind, several actions are recommended to effectively control nematode populations, including the following:

• Clean machinery before moving it from field to field, if possible. Otherwise, choose the field with the highest nematode populations to work last before moving to the shop for cleanings.
• Plant varieties with newer nematode resistance packages, such as Peking.
• Routinely rotate to non-host crops.
• Include a nematicide in seed treatment protocols.
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Aveo® EZ Nematicide is a seed protectant that helps suppress nematodes, including SCN, while ensuring soil microbes' health.

“Aveo is a low-use-rate seed treatment that provides the protection growers need, and it doesn’t impede you from treating seed with other products, such as inoculants, micronutrients,” McDuffee says.

Aveo can be used as an every-acre product or prescriptively for fields experiencing high nematode pressure. The seed treatment is also compatible with all soybean varieties and trait packages.

“One of the advantages that Aveo has over other products in the market space is that this strain of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens organism, which is unique to Aveo, offers lasting protection,” Griffin says. “It’s going to quickly colonize those roots, protecting a grower’s soybean crop from nematode feeding as the plant grows.”

Aveo also has activity on multiple nematode species, including SCN, root-knot nematode, and reniform nematode.
 

“And specifically with root-knot nematode, we see Aveo’s metabolites paralyze the targeted pest. When those nematodes are paralyzed, they’re no longer able to feed on roots,” McDuffee says.

Griffin adds, “Aveo is very economical. It fits into growers’ application practices and provides an opportunity to drive more bushels across the finish line, positively impacting the economics of a soybean field.”

For more information about Aveo, visit Valent.com or contact your local Valent representative.