Welcome to the "Field Crop Diseases" Soybean Answers. You can find answers to the most frequently asked questions in "FAQs". To ask a specific question, click the "Ask a Question" button in the FAQ area. Questions asked before February 1999 are available in the "Archive" area. More information about the expert is provided below. 

Greeting from the Experts

Welcome to the Soybean Diseases Information Section of the StratSoy "Expert Answers". Our team of crop disease experts are plant pathologists with responsibilities for field crops in Illinois. Since we are most familiar with soybean production in the Midwest, we might not be able to answer all questions from other states or regions. However, we will attempt to locate individuals with information relating to other regions or states.

All of us are here to provide you with the assistance you need to successfully produce a quality soybean crop. Please feel free to contact us concerning any disease problems.


Dr. Glen L. Hartman
Dr. Hartman is an ARS/USDA soybean pathologist with a joint appointment in the Departments of Crops Sciences and Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois and has worked on soybean diseases since 1982. He has conducted surveys, developed seedborne detection techniques, and evaluated soybean germplasm for resistance to a number of soybean pathogens.

Dr. Wayne Pedersen
Dr. Pedersen is a soybean pathologist in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois, but also has worked on corn and wheat diseases. His research involves a systems approach to disease management, which includes disease resistance, cultural management, especially reduced tillage, and chemical/biological control.

Dr. Darin M. Eastburn
Dr. Eastburn is a plant pathologist in the Department of Crop Sciences at the University of Illinois who specializes in plant diseases caused by soilborne, root-infecting fungi. He has worked with a number of cropping systems, and his research has focused on environmental factors that effect the development of soilborne diseases. He also has conducted studies on the effectiveness of biological control agents, the efficacy of fungicide applications, and evaluations of host resistance.

Dr. Terry Niblack
Dr. Niblack is a plant pathologist specializing in diseases caused by
nematodes. She was appointed Professor of Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) Management in the Department of Crop Sciences in 2001. She has been working on SCN, root-knot, and other soybean diseases since 1980. She co-chairs, with Dr. Jason Bond at Southern Illinois University, the
Illinois SCN Team, which provides cutting-edge research and up-to-date
information on SCN management to soybean producers. She collaborates
with a number of other scientists on soybean diseases resulting from
interactions between nematodes and other pathogens.