Location: Sunflower Improvement Research
Project Number: 3060-21220-034-044-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2026
End Date: Dec 31, 2027
Objective:
The overall goal of this project is to improve white mold management in soybean and dry bean through 1) Validate apothecia prediction models in soybean and dry bean, 2) Optimization of pesticide applications for managing white mold, and 3) Check fungicide sensitivity in situations of apparent fungicide failure.
Approach:
This project will improve white mold management in soybean and dry bean by combining disease forecasting, field validation, and fungicide optimization across Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Dakota. Specifically, Field validation trials will be conducted in North Dakota, Michigan, and Wisconsin in both soybean and dry bean fields with a history of white mold development and Apothecia will be assessed in naturally infested environments through repeated field observations made in either research plots or commercial fields that have not received fungicide applications, and data will be incorporated into previously developed datasets to strengthen future model development and validation efforts. To optimize pesticide application, soybean varieties with a range of tolerance to PPO-inhibiting herbicides will be tested in small plots naturally infected with Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Complementary greenhouse studies will also be conducted. Fungicide sensitivity will be assessed in the field for research and commercial fields and in vitro.