Glyphosate-resistant soybean management system effect on sclerotinia stem rot

The impact of the management variables soybean cultivar, row spacing, population density, and shading was evaluated on the incidence of Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) on glyphosate-resistant soybeans in an irrigated glyphosate-resistant soybean management system. Soybean canopy development, flower number, soil moisture, disease severity, and soybean yield were evaluated on three glyphosate-resistant cultivars, Pioneer '92B71' (upright), Asgrow 'AG2701' (bushy), and Asgrow 'AG2702' (bushy). Three different row spacing-target population combinations of 76 cm, 430,000 seeds/ha; 19 cm, 430,000 seeds/ha; and 19 cm, 560,000 seeds/ha were evaluated. Cultivars 92B71 and AG2701 had 42 and 15% lower disease severity indexes and 38 and 19% greater yields than AG2702, respectively. The actual average population of 92B71 was 9 and 20% lower than actual average populations of AG2701 and AG2702, respectively. Disease severity indexes were lower and yield was higher when population was reduced from 560,000 seeds/ha to 430,000 seeds/ha in 19-cm rows. When averaged over the entire study, population was positively correlated with disease severity index (r² = 0.33; P < 0.0001) and negatively correlated with yield (r² = -0.13; P = 0.0140). Reduction of soybean population was more important than increasing row spacing to manage SSR in an irrigated system. Average actual spacing between plants within a row was 18 and 4 cm for 19- and 76-cm rows, respectively, at a target population of 430,000 seeds/ha, which may have contributed to greater plant-to-plant transfer of the Sclerotinia sclerotiorum pathogen in the 76-cm rows.