Mirian Pimentel and Dr. Ahmad Fakhoury

A doctoral student at Southern Illinois University has discovered a tool to fight sudden death syndrome in soybeans.

Mirian Pimentel found several beneficial fungi that can act as biological control agents to reduce growth of the pathogen that causes SDS. Ag Science Professor Jason Bond tells Brownfield these fungi existed in the soil long before soybeans were ever planted.

“This chemical warfare that is going on between these organisms, the good guys and also the bad guys in the soil, that can be harnessed to help us not only protect plants but also become a sustainable, long-lasting, disease control option.”

The discovery was made in Professor Ahmad Fakhoury’s lab.

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