Chlorosis, or yellowing of leaf tissue in plants, can be an indicator of a great number of issues from nutrient deficient soils to poor root systems or saturated soils. Manitoba farmers especially are dealing with excess moisture this year, even outside of the flood zones along the Assiniboine River, and while soybeans do take standing water better than other crops, the plants are certainly suffering from water stress.
Related: Iron chlorosis and herbicide flash — other reasons for yellow soybeans.
In this Soybean School, Dieter Schwarz of Pride Seeds, gets digging to explain some of the reasons producers may find yellowing in soybeans, focusing largely on root health and nodulation. Rhizobium species (the bacteria responsible for inspiring root nodules) are negatively affected by compaction and soil saturation, conditions that were present in many locations across the prairies this year. Schwarz describes the symptoms to look for when assessing fields of this nature, what producers can do to help yellowing crops and how to determine the next course of action.