Can soybean SDS be eliminated with crop rotation and, can it affect other field crops?
No, the causal fungus, in the genus Fusarium, survives on a variety of crops and organic materials. It can parasitize many plant or remain in a semi-dormant state until favorable weather and hosts are available. There is no data to suggest that SDS can be seed transmitted. The causal agent is a field fungus which is not known to infect seed. The only way that seed could carry this fungus is if plants had lodged and a lot of soil was collected with the seed. I doubt this would ever happen. One caution is that often seed from SDS infected plants is smaller than from healthy plants. Even though the seed is not carrying the fungus, the plants from these small seed may be weaker than those from normal plants and more subject to diseases, etc. It is hard to answer whether SDS affects other field crops. Yes, it can infect other crop and weeds, but does not cause the kind of damage that is seen with soybeans. These other crops and weeds seem to serve as a means of survival for the fungus. It b
