Jul 19, 2010
"Soja Louca 2" or "Crazy Soybean 2" Puzzles Brazilian Scientists
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
Brazilian farmers and scientists are puzzled about a previously unknown anomaly that has appeared in Brazilian soybean fields. Scientists do not know if it is a disease or some type of chemical interaction. The anomaly is being called "soja louca II" or "crazy soybean 2". The anomaly was seen in all of the major producing states in Brazil last year, but Mato Grosso registered the most occurrences. In its most severe form, farmers reported loosing 100 or 200 hectares of soybeans.
Soybeans affected by this disease do not complete their normal life cycle. Affected plants retain their leaves and do not go on to matuity. The veins of the leaves and the nodes are much larger than normal. There is an extra high amount of flower and pod abortions especially at the top of the plant. If the plant retains the pods, they are deformed and the few seeds that are found in the pods are deformed as well. The affected plants remain a deep dark green color even though the rest of the field has already matured.
The disease was first seen during the 2008/09 growing season and scientists thought it was caused by an insect attack under specific environmental conditions. This initial anomaly was called "crazy soybean". The phenomena was more widespread during the 2009/10 growing season and scientists have now widened their scope of potential causes to include: a virus that is transferred by insect attack, a herbicide interaction, problems with residue management, high temperatures, an interaction with noxious weed residue, etc. Since it was more widespread this past growing season and it seemed to be associated any number of things, it is now being called "crazy soybean 2".
Brazilian scientists have been meeting to establish a protocol on just how they are going to attack the problem of trying to figure out the cause of this anomaly. All they know right now is that it is a complex anomaly that is potentially associated with many factors.