b'Soybean roots infested with soybean cyst nematode.PHOTO: BASFNew TechnologiesBEING A FARMERis not for the faint of heart. The industry has long faced great challenges that dont seem to be going away anytime soon. Everything from climate change to increas-ing costs related to supplies, labor and fertilizer. And, lets not Help Fight theforget crop diseases, one of which is showing greater resistance more than eversoybean cyst nematode (SCN).As one of the largest field robbers, SCN has been devastat-Plight of Soybeaning to soybean crops across the U.S. and is now starting to move across Canada. While SCN can often cause more than 30% yield loss in some affected soybean fields, the good news is that in the past year, new discoveries and technology have been released to Cyst Nematode combat it with encouraging results.But first, what is soybean cyst nematode? The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign called it one of the most destruc-tive pests quite unlike its worm relatives. While the vast major-ity of nematodes appear as microscopic worms, the female SCN can essentially shape shift into a tiny lemon after feasting SCN accounts for more than $1 billion inon soybean roots. This round shape allows the female to retain losses for U.S. farmers annually and hasapproximately two-thirds of its fertilized eggs, so as the embryos moved into Canada. Recent discoveriesdevelop, the hosts body hardens to become a protective cyst. This has allowed SCN to be as damaging as it is. are helping to reverse the damage.Labs across the U.S. are still looking at how to minimize SCN Lisa Kopochinski damage. One such lab includes Iowa State Universitys Greg Tylka, professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology which has extension and research responsibilities for management of plant-parasitic nematodes. Research in his lab includes field experiments assessing the yield protection and control provided by SCN-resistant varieties and by nematode-protectant seed treatments. His graduate students are conducting laboratory experiments to determine how nematode-protectant seed treatments affect specific aspects of the biology of SCNthings like hatching, movement, response to chemical stimuli, and more.10/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2022'