Soybean cyst nematodes (SCN) are a plant-parasitic roundworm that attack soybeans in Saline, Jefferson, and Gage counties. The pest is not new or unfamiliar to area farmers and agronomists. However, sometimes we get too comfortable with old issues. As a reminder, SCN is the #1 yield-grabbing pest in U.S. soybean production.
Soybean cyst nematodes or SCN were found in 1954 affecting soybeans in North Carolina, but not found until 1986 in Richardson County, Nebraska. Nebraska was the last major soybean producing state to find SCN. A Nebraska SCN distribution study published in 1989 confirmed the presence of SCN in southeast Gage County in 1988. Today, SCN has been identified in 59 counties, including all counties in eastern Nebraska.
