PANHANDLE PERSPECTIVES: Soil Disease Index, Tool for Managing Sugarbeet Diseases, Available for Growers

For more than 20 years the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center’s Plant Pathology Program has been using a soil index test as a forecasting tool for sugarbeet root rot diseases in Nebraska. A recent conversation revealed that some sugarbeet producers are not aware of this service, so for veteran and newer growers, as well as the public, here is a description of the program.

Disease Index

The disease index is a pre-plant soil test that was developed and utilized by the plant pathology program at the Panhandle Center. This test is conducted in the greenhouse and designed to test soil...