What effect will SCN have on dry beans?
Scientists have known for over 80 years that SCN can attack soybeans but there has been almost no research what so ever on the effect of SCN on dry beans, mostly because in most soybean areas you don’t have big dry bean production. This is a concern for Nelson. Dr. Rubella Goswami, a dry bean pathologist at NDSU, is also concerned about the interaction between SCN and root rot fungi that could increase damage to the roots. She and Nelson are cooperating to find out if this is another potential problem associated with SCN. A few years ago, Nelson started to look at dry bean groups in this area to find out if SCN reproduced on those groups. “When we compared the reproduction of SCN under a controlled test, this nematode reproduced just as good on the kidney bean plant as it did on soybean plants. When testing the black bean cultivars, they appear to have some resistance. Working with the pinto and navy bean cultivars, the nematode did not reproduce as well as on soybeans, but it still re
