STARKVILLE, Miss. -- The Mississippi State University Extension Service will offer free testing for a significant crop pest through Aug. 30, 2019.

The MSU Extension Plant Diagnostic Lab will conduct free soybean cyst nematode testing for Mississippi producers as part of the national Soybean Cyst Nematode Coalition effort to address the decreasing effectiveness of the most common source of genetic resistance bred into many current soybean varieties. Soybean checkoff funds support the coalition’s testing program.  

Samples must be accompanied by the soybean cyst nematode sample submission form located at http://extension.msstate.edu/lab. Instructions on how to properly sample fields also are available online.

The free testing applies only to soybean cyst nematodes. The lab will provide counts of the number of nematode juveniles and cyst stage females present in the soil. They also will provide a count for the number of eggs that hatch from the cysts. 

Questions about the test should be directed to the lab at 662-325-2146.