Seed Treatment Could End SDS Impact

Seed Treatment Could End SDS Impact

Sudden Death Syndrome(SDS) is a serious threat for Indiana soybean growers, and each year the disease takes its toll on some Indiana fields. A new seed treatment from Bayer, ILeVO, shows promise in controlling the disease.  According to Jenifer Riggs, with Bayer Crop Science, the seed treatment works on all varieties of seeds and protects young plants from the onset of the disease, thus reducing or eliminating yield loss,  “No matter if you have seeds that have a strong tolerance or weak tolerance to SDS, we have seen benefits with the use of ILeVO.”

First discovered in 1971 in Arkansas, SDS moves through the soil and can now be found in most soybean growing areas of the US and Canada.  Riggs points out that the new product minimizes the damage done from SDS but does not eliminate the disease, “It does prevent serious infections of the disease, but I would never say we are eradicating it from a field.”  From 2009 to 2011, it is estimated that SDS caused annual yield losses of 42 million bushels per year, proving itself to be a voracious threat to soybean growers.

During research and field trials, ILeVO seed treatment has shown to protect soybeans from early-season infection and reduce late-season leaf chlorosis and necrosis that leads to leaf, flower, and pod abortion resulting in yield loss. The active ingredient in ILeVO is systemic and moves from the seed into the tissue of both the stem and roots of soybean seedlings, a method of distribution that is critical to the success of ILeVO for SDS disease control.

Bayer is awaiting registration and hopes to  have the product on the market for the in 2015 with full availability in 2016.