RAYMOND, Miss. -- Mississippi soybean producers may qualify for free nematode testing through the Mississippi State University Extension Service Plant Diagnostic Laboratory.

Limited free tests are available between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. To qualify for free testing, soil must be from Mississippi soybean fields and soybeans must have been grown in the sample area during either 2022 or 2023. Five hundred free tests are available on a first come, first served basis.

Soil tests should be submitted in nematode bags or quart-size, zip-close bags. Nematode bags are available at the local Extension office. The sample must be accompanied by Extension Form 488. It is available on the lab’s webpage at https://extension.msstate.edu/lab or at the local Extension office. For complete instructions, visit the MSU Extension website at https://tinyurl.com/v6vxtknh.

Soil testing is a critical tool in detecting nematodes, which are microscopic, parasitic worms that damage soybean roots and reduce yields. Symptoms of infestation cannot be detected above ground in the plant.

The Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board funded the project, which is aimed at evaluating the abundance and distribution of nematodes in the state and will help scientists offer better management suggestions.

Free HG type testing will be done for fields infested with soybean cyst nematodes, or SCNs. These tests will help provide updated recommendations for SCN-resistant soybean varieties.