There's not much producers can do in-season for root rot diseases in crops, but it's something to be watching for the sake of future growing season.

Manitoba Pulse and Soybean Growers production specialist Kristen Podolsky says root diseases tend to be the big yield-robbers in soybeans, even though they may not be as obvious as foliar disease.

She says there are four pathogens they call the root rot complex, which affect soybeans: phytophthora, pythium, fusarium, and rhizoctonia.

"Now the unique about phytophthora is we have genetic resistance available," Podolsky says. "So in-season, we can't necessarily do anything about the disease, but (if we) properly identify phytophthora, then when we grow soybeans in that field again, we can adjust our varieties to a variety that has a resistance to phytophthora."

Podolsky says soybean history is very important for phytophthora, as the more frequently soybeans are grown, the more inoculum there will be in the field.