The Most Comprehensive Survey of Foliar Diseases in Manitoba Soybean

Like all economically important crops, soybean is host to an abundance of ‘foliar disease causing’ microbial pathogens that can result in serious yield losses. Timely detection of these pathogens is critical for disease control and management. Up until now, disease surveillance has relied on approaches that can only validate existing diseases, thereby leaving soybean susceptible to emerging diseases. ‘Next generation sequencing’ technology can be used as an effective disease surveillance tool for soybean. Not only will pathogens not previously reported in Manitoba be detected but data will also be generated that can be used for developing predictive models for improving crop production. The survey will provide farmers much needed baseline information for the control and management of foliar diseases and, ultimately, allow us to better determine which diseases pose the greatest risk to future Manitoba soybean yields.