Sclerotinia stem rot, a.k.a. white mold, is caused by the fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum and can be a devastating foliar disease of soybean in Michigan and the Midwest. The fungal spores infect soybean flowers, and the disease develops in the plant, eventually forming white mycelial mats on the stem with dark sclerotia -- overwintering structures. White mold sclerotia can survive for up to 10 years when buried in the soil. The sclerotia will produce apothecia -- mushrooms -- that will produce spores in subsequent years. White mold outbreaks tend to be less impactful when sclerotia are left on the soil surface within the rotation.
Manage white mold with biologicals
White mold growth is shown on soybean stems with white mycelia and black sclerotia.
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