Although rain did come to Clinton County, it seems to have come at the wrong time and under the wrong conditions. With strong winds in addition to heavy rainfall, much of the county saw corn lodge and fall the ground. Although soybeans did not lodge, we are now faced with another issue among the soybean crop of 2024.
Due to the extreme drought conditions soybeans matured quickly, whereas some farmers did not harvest because of leaf retention in the soybean fields. The drought contributed to soybeans being very dry (only 6 to 8% moisture), so some farmers left beans in the field in hopes that rain from hurricane Helene would add moisture enough to the soybeans to prevent shatter or being turned away from the elevator.
The issue is that since there was so much rain (between four to eight inches) in addition to the warm weather, soybeans began to sprout inside the pod. I have so far heard of two incidents of sprouted soybeans in Clinton County. Although rain during harvest is common in Ohio, there may have been compromised pod integrity and seed coat due to the extreme drought. Not only are we seeing issues with seed sprout, but also black pods and stems. It could be that multiple fungi are responsible for the black coloration of the pods.
If you have soybeans that are exhibiting these signs, please samples to Dr. Horacio Lopez-Nicora at:
Attn: Horacio Lopez-Nicora Ph.D.
110 Kottman Hall
2021 Coffey Rd.
Columbus, OH 43210 [email protected]
