With so many changes in farming practices, it is not surprising to see changes in plant disease pictures, however. Further, keep in mind that Rhizoctonia root rot has symptoms similar to this disease, but the importance of Rhizoctonia is far less than that of other diseases. Some people may ask why we should worry whether the root rot fungus is Rhizoctonia or Mycoleptodiscus because symptoms of the two fungi appear the same. However, the information we collect can improve effective disease management. As we know, seedling blight caused by Rhizoctonia can be managed with a chemical treatment and damage of Rhizoctonia root rot beyond seedling stages can be reduced by mid-season cultivation.
Cultivation mounds the soil around the base of soybean plants, which promotes new growth of roots.
If the root rot is caused by Mycoleptodiscus , management designed for Rhizoctonia may not be effective. If you see reddish-brown lesions associated with root rot in soybean, do not assume it is Rhizoctonia root rot. Send samples to the ISU Plant Disease Clinic for isolation and identification. This information subject to a usage policy .