What is it?

Green Stem Syndrome is when the leaves and stem on the plant remain green even after the plant has already matured and become ready for harvest. The seeds and pods will be ripened and the stem on the plant will remain moist. Green Stem has not been determined to show a dramatic yield loss, but it makes harvesting the plant efficiently much more difficult. There is no clear evidence on what causes green stem and it changes location of occurrence each year.

 

Symptoms:

Symptoms will be clear when the plant begins to mature and the stems and leaves on the plant remain green

 

Causal Pathogen:

Green Stem has been attributed to many different causes. Potassium deficiency, population density, low soil moisture and plant viruses. The incidence and outcome of green stem has been reported to vary among different cultivars. Researchers and producers recommend to plant cultivars that are not as adaptive to green stem as others.

 

Can you prevent it?

The biggest thing is to minimize or reduce stress during important time periods such as R4-R5. Scouting and looking for any signs of damage using foliage insecticides or even foliage fungicide. It is not recommended to try and delay soybean harvest, as it damages seed quality and will increase shatter loss. 

 

Sources:

Green Stem Syndrome

Green Stem Disorder in Soybeans