46 / SEEDWORLD.COM JANUARY 2019 SUDDEN DEATH SYNDROME (SDS) in soybeans is a tough critter to control. Getting a handle on this disease takes a full management approach. SDS occurs in a disease complex with soybean cyst nematode. When this disease occurs in the presence of cyst nematode, symptoms occur earlier and are more severe. SDS is typically not detectable on the foliage of plants until after they begin flowering. The fungus infects seedling roots soon after planting. Above ground symptoms rarely appear before mid-July when the fungus pen- etrates the plant’s vascular tissue. The fungus produces toxins in the roots that are translocated to the leaves and cause foliar symptoms. SDS Management Early planting predisposes soybean to SDS infection. In cool, wet soils, young soybean plants are vulnerable to infection by the SDS causal fungus. Avoid early spring planting in soils not favorable for rapid soybean growth. Fields with no his- tory of SDS should be planted first; fields where SDS has been a problem should be planted later. Cyst nematode injures seedling plants, which makes them more vulnerable to SDS. Begin SDS management with nematicides active against cyst nematode and/or resistant varieties. Nematicides, including some biological products, should be used before you consider using an additional seed treatment fungicide directed at SDS. Fungicides in-furrow or foliar-applied are not effective on SDS. Resistance management options to control SDS are limited. Although soybean cultivars less susceptible to SDS have Is There Any Way to Deal with Sudden Death Syndrome in Soybeans? TOM KROLL, NUFARM AMERICAS TECHNICAL AND PRODUCT MANAGER @NufarmUS • tom.kroll@nufarm.com • www.nufarm.com been developed, no highly-resistant varie- ties are available. Nonetheless, you may get the biggest bang for your buck by starting with a nematicide in combination with a variety that has some level of SDS resistance. A few technologies are available for SDS fungal control. ILeVO seems to be the most effective against the SDS causal agent and has activity on cyst nematode as well. Thiabendazole (TBZ) may help at high application rates. While it is too early to know how well Heads Up will perform, limited results have been promising. The bottom line: Plant later to manage SDS. When that is not an option, use a nematicide alone or in combination with a variety that has some SDS resistance. If the problem is severe, add a fungicide directed at SDS. I RECENTLY ANNOUNCED my retire- ment from Oliver Manufacturing, set to take effect this December, and I thought this was an opportunity to reflect on my career. As material control manager for 37 years, my duties included all the pur- chasing and management of inventory adjustments as needed. I’ve been respon- sible for inventory adjustments during our annual physical count and logistics for scheduling shipments, whether it’s parts or machines, going domestically and internationally. In 1981, I started at Oliver as a tempo- rary contractor. I was fresh out of college and ready to start a career. At the time, Geoff Burney was the CEO and he didn’t actually have any fulltime positions avail- able. However, he needed work done on creating part numbers, something that I still manage to this day. The parts system in place needed to be refined. Around the end of October, a permanent position opened up and Geoff offered it to me. I’ve been here ever since! Effective communication in my role as material control manager is vital. It’s important to have a good rapport with other departments as we rely on a lot of back-and-forth information from each other. I have to understand that we use an awful lot of those items, so we don’t want to buy just five or 10 at a time, we need to buy 100 at a time. Or, we don’t go through that many, and we only need five or 10 or if we are trying something new. Thirty or 40 years ago, the expertise and knowledge I’d developed on thou- sands and thousands of parts would be painstaking to record and com- municate. I’d end up writing a book or 37 Years Of Managing Materials At Oliver Manufacturing JEFFEREY FAWCETT, OLIVER MANUFACTURING MATERIAL CONTROL MANAGER Jefferey.fawcett@olivermanufacturing.com • olivermanufacturing.com manual about it all! But because of natural technological developments, a lot of that knowledge is ready to be passed along with the mantel. I’ve witnessed a great deal of change and a tremendous amount of growth. In 1981, I never dreamed that I’d be here in 2018. I sure am lucky to have been here for as long as I have, and I’ve had many meaningful relationships with different people at Oliver through the years. It’s been very rewarding. It’s been a pleasure to raise my family in the Rocky Ford and Arkansas Valley area. I’m finishing up in December – hopefully, I’ll be on vacation by the actual deadline. It’s been a won- derful journey!