In the late 2000s, nematode-protectant seed treatments were introduced as a new management tool for SCN. Currently there are at least four such seed treatments and each product has a vastly different active ingredient and mode of action than the others.
Our work with nematode-protectant seed treatments is to evaluate the effects of the seed treatments on soybean yield and SCN egg population densities in the field. We also have a major laboratory and greenhouse research effort to determine the effects of the seed treatments on specific life stages (eggs, juveniles, adult males & females) and biological processes (hatching, movement, infection, development, mating, egg production) in the SCN life cycle. The field research is partially funded by the soybean checkoff through a grant from the Iowa Soybean Association. The laboratory and greenhouse research is partially funded by the NSF Center for Arthropod Management Technologies at Iowa State University. Private industry funds also support these research efforts.