October 1, 2024 marks the second National Nematode Day, a day that’s especially exciting for the winners of The SCN Coalition’s $500 sweepstakes:

• Feyisayo Akande
• Austin Brand
• Jacob Mekidani Salu

These winners qualified for the drawing by participating in The SCN Coalition’s “Are You Smarter Than a Nematode?” quizzes. This fun, engaging and informative series sponsored by BASF, Bayer and Syngenta challenged participants to test their nematode knowledge.

Putting SCN knowledge to the test

In addition to engaging the audience, the questions and answers from industry experts helped educate about plant-parasitic nematodes and their significance to soybean production.

Week 1: Are all nematodes harmful?

To kick off the quiz series, participants were asked whether all nematodes are harmful.

“No, they are not,” says Dylan Mangel, plant pathologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a leader of the Coalition. He explains, “While plant-parasitic nematodes like soybean cyst nematode (SCN) are a threat to food security and plant health, beneficial nematodes are also abundant in the ecosystem.”  

Week 2: What plant-parasitic nematode is the No. 2 threat to the southern soybean crop?

In Week 2, quiz respondents tested their regional knowledge, weighing in on what plant-parasitic nematode they thought was the No. 2 threat to the southern soybean crop.

Southern root-knot nematode claims that distinction, according to Horacio Lopez-Nicora, soybean nematologist at Ohio State University and a Coalition leader. “Southern root-knot nematode cost farmers more than 13 million bushels in 2022,” he details.

Week 3: Does SCN make other plant diseases worse?

For the final week of the quiz series, participants were asked whether SCN makes other plant diseases worse. The correct answer is yes. Mangel explains, “A healthy plant is better able to defend itself against pathogens.”

Take the Test

By generating a lot of buzz about nematodes and SCN via National Nematode Day and a quiz-based sweepstakes, the Coalition and its partners hope to spread awareness about the threat plant-parasitic nematodes like SCN pose to agriculture.  

If farmers and agronomists are aware that SCN is a widespread and serious problem costing them bushels and profits with little to no visible aboveground symptoms, they are more likely to test fields for SCN. Fall is an ideal time to do so.

Farmers can take those test results and use them in the SCN Profit Checker to estimate how much SCN is costing them in each of their fields. Seeing that personalized hit to the bottom line can be a powerful motivator for active management of the problem.

Raising awareness

At its core, National Nematode Day is about awareness. On the farm, awareness is an important step on the path of active management. At the industry level, awareness is the precursor to new research and tools for fighting SCN. Learn more about what you can do to manage SCN.