The Soybean Cyst Nematode

Abstract

The soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, is one of the most destructive pests affecting soy- beans in the United States as well as in the other top ten soybean-produc- ing countries of the world. Annual yield losses in soybeans due to SCN have been estimated at about $1.5 billion in the U.S. alone. SCN was Figure 1. Minnesota Map showing known distribution of the soybean cyst nematode by county and the decade in which it was discovered . first reported in North America in North Carolina in 1954, and since then has spread to 28 soybean- producing states and Canada . In Minnesota, SCN was first detected in 1978 near Frost in Faribault County. By 2000, its presence had been detected in 52 counties in the state (Figure 1).