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- Fumigant shows promise in combating nematodes
Schultz Bruce, Blanchard, Tobie M., Gould, Frances I.
A fumigant and soybean varieties resistant to nematodes may help combat the underground pest.
Charles Overstreet, LSU AgCenter nematode specialist, is in the second year of testing different treatments on a 5-acre field at the AgCenter Northeast Research Station near St. Joseph. He is testing soybeans using the seed treatment Avicta and the nematicide Telone on varieties that are resistant and susceptible to nematodes.
An identical test is being conducted on a farmer’s field in Morehouse Parish with Richard Letlow, AgCenter county agent.
Overstreet said many farmers are reluctant to use resistant varieties because they have lower yields and Telone, at $60 per acre, is often too expensive.
Soil texture determines the effectiveness of Telone, he said. It works best on plants in lighter soils where the fumigant can boost yields by 20 percent. Nematodes are not as damaging to soybean roots in heavy soils, so the use of Telone in clay soils probably isn’t cost effective.
To save money on Telone applications, soil data using a Veris system can be used to determine where rates can be decreased in clay soils, he said.
In the test, some soybeans treated with Telone had a 20-bushel increase, but farther into the field in heavier soil, there was an 11-bushel increase.
“We got a lot of good data last year,” Overstreet said. “It’s looking really promising this year as well. I would like to do it one more year to get three years of data.”
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture