A website from UGA Cooperative Extension

News, events, and happenings in Colquitt County agriculture.

Last week, I received a few phone calls about soybean green stem (SGS) (Figure 1).  The causes of SGS are not well understood but are likely attributed to various stresses that can effect soybean pod development.  Stresses include problems such as stinkbugs, aphids, thrips, disease, viruses, and environmental.   The use of foliar fungicides, especially the strobilurins, have also been associated with SGS.  Cultivar may also be important as well.  

Herbicides such as paraquat, although very useful for soybean leaf defoliation, have been inconsistent in their effect on SGS.  At this time of year (i.e. harvest), the only management tactics for SGS are making sure combine teeth are sharp, reducing combine speeds, and possibly delaying harvest until when/if/maybe a hard freeze occurs.

For more information, check out this recent (September 2021) publication about Green Stem Syndrome in Soybean from Oklahoma State University. https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/print-publications/pss/green-stem-syndrome-in-soybean-pss-3003.pdf

Posted in: