Research Assistant Professor @ NDSU | Soybean pathologist 🌱🍄 | Clemson, Miss State, and UT Martin alum
Fargo, ND
Joined October 2017
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Happy Friday! Please enjoy these apothecia (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) I captured in one of our research soybean fields this week. #fungifriday – at Fargo, ND
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
Drought conditions are impacting soybeans and unfortunately presence the of charcoal rot is seemingly making the issue worse in certain areas of the state. You can see the small black survival structures of this fungus inside the split stem
Enjoy field and lab based diagnostic work? 🌱🔬
You might be a great fit for the Post Doctoral Research Associate position open in the NDSU Ext Soybean Pathology Lab! See the position description for details or use the link below to apply: prd.hcm.ndus.edu/psp/recruit… – at Fargo, ND
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
🌱 Early-season soybean diseases can impact stand and yield before symptoms are obvious.
Fusarium, Rhizoctonia, and water molds like Pythium and Phytophthora thrive in wet conditions and can cause poor emergence and stunting. Scout early, manage water, use effective seed treatments, and confirm issues through testing when needed.
Learn more: bit.ly/NDSCEarlySeasonDiseas…
The first week April brought about a foot of snow so we were just now able to collect our last set of sclerotia of the Sclerotinia sclerotia degradation trial. The field was only a little muddy! @BisonBeanDoc – at Fargo, ND
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
Farmers in the north central U.S. face soybean yield loss from #Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Models from a meta-analysis by @hoperbecton et al. power an interactive online app to compare fungicide program probabilities for net returns and profitability: doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-07-2…
ALT FIGURE 1 Map of locations where uniform trials were conducted to evaluate Sclerotinia stem rot (SSR) on soybean.
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
Fungicide ROI calculators for corn, soybean white mold, and alfalfa.
Newly redone at cropprotectionnetwork.org/ro….
@Ag_PMT @badgercropdoc @datascience_uw @MartinChilvers1 @DTelenko @BisonBeanDoc @hoperbecton @baldpathologist @travisfaske @alabamaED @alisonrISU @tjcksn @ppp_trey #corn #soybeans #alfalfa #fungicide #grow26
ALT Figure showing the cost vs expected net benefit for fungicide ROI in corn.
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
Join NDSU researchers at Oakes Crop Shop Talks for research-based demonstrations and updates from the Oakes Irrigation Research Site, including disease management, soil fertility, canola agronomy, and tools for managing white mold and tar spot of corn.
Register >>> ndsu.ag/shoptalks
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
Oakes Crop Shop Talks will highlight NDSU research and Extension work at the Oakes Irrigation Research Site, featuring demonstrations on disease management, soil fertility, canola agronomy, and decision support tools for white mold and tar spot of corn.
Detailed agenda and registration >>>ndsu.edu/agriculture/extensi…
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
“The pesticide programs with the highest probability of being profitable for white mold management were Cobra at R1, Cobra at V4/V5, Endura at R3, and Delaro Complete at R3 across varying levels of [disease].... Although the average yield increase associated with Cobra in the meta-analysis was relatively modest, its lower cost and moderate white mold control resulted in a high likelihood of positive net return.”
From the updated publication "Pesticide Impact on White Mold and Soybean Yield" at cropprotectionnetwork.org/pu… by @hoperbecton @MartinChilvers1 @dsmuelle @badgercropdoc @DTelenko @BisonBeanDoc +more
@SoyResearchInfo @WISoyCheckoff @MichiganSoybean @IowaSoybeans @INSoybean @NDSUExtension @NDAgExpStation @ILSoybean #soybeans #USSoy
ALT Soybean plant with white fungal growth, dark fungal growth, and dead stem tissue.
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
Before you plan your 2026 soybean management decisions, take a few minutes to explore the 2025 Soybean Pathology Field Research Report and see what our researchers are finding in North Dakota fields.
Read the report >>> ndsu.edu/agriculture/extensi…
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
Check out the field research being done by the NDSU Extension Soybean Pathology lab in 2025. ndsu.edu/agriculture/extensi…
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
Webster Lab crew has been out scouting North Dakota the past few weeks. Incredible amount of fields with white mold present this year. Not surprising with the moisture we saw this summer during most of flowering periods. But this will lead to lots of new inoculum for the future
Today we toured UT Research sites in Milan and Jackson! Thanks @TNplantDR for organizing a great tour! – at Jackson, TN
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
Soybean Cyst Nematode (SCN) continues to be one of the biggest threats to soybean yields, and it’s showing up more often across ND. The only way to know if it’s in your fields is to test.
The ND Soybean Council and @NDSUExtension are providing free SCN soil sampling bags to help farmers take that step.
Learn more about the SCN sampling program at bit.ly/SCNSamplingND
SCN is the #1 yield-limiting pest in #soybeans — and often shows no symptoms.
🧪 #StopSCN. Know. Test. Defend.
Test your soil. Protect your yield.
Learn more about SCN ndsu.edu/agriculture/extensi…
Down in the MS Delta today and saw my favorite disease for the first time in years: taproot decline caused by Xylaria necrophora – at Mississippi, USA
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
Great Collaboration with @BisonBeanDoc, @datascience_uw, and @CropNetwork to analyze large data to generate a new soybean white Mold ROI tool. It is a tight margin year, this could be handy! Learn more here: badgercropnetwork.com/new-wh…
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
White Mold: Insights and Updates for 2025 CPN TV episode from Extension at youtu.be/7Ak_n9Fh79U
@W_Webster74 @badgercropdoc @MartinChilvers1 @SoyResearchInfo @SoybeanScience1 @MSUExtService @WIAgContent @WISoyAssoc @MichiganSoybean @NDSoybean @NDSoyGrowers @NDAgExpStation @NDSUExtension @MSUEFieldCrops #plant25 #soybean #agx #USSoy
ALT Soybean stem with white mold growth and fungal sclerotia.
ALT Soybean stem split open showing and fungal sclerotia inside.
ALT Soybean stems with white mold growth and fungal sclerotia.
Hope Renfroe-Becton retweeted
“Our findings demonstrate [white mold] resistant soybean varieties produce substantially fewer and smaller sclerotia compared to susceptible varieties, which can play a crucial role in long-term disease management by limiting the inoculum load in fields.”
From the @PlantDiseaseJ article doi.org/10.1094/PDIS-10-24-2… by @W_Webster74 @hoperbecton @badgercropdoc +more
@NDSoybean @NDSoyGrowers @NDSUExtension @NDAgExpStation @WISoyAssoc @WISoyCheckoff @UWMadisonExt @UWMadScience @WIAgContent @SoybeanScience1 @SoyResearchInfo @soydisease #soybean #agtwitter #agx
ALT White, fluffy growth and sclerotia on soybean stem characteristic of white mold.
ALT Wilted, dead leaves remain attached to stems of white mold infected plants.
ALT Apothecia germinating from a sclerotia on the ground.
ALT White mold sclerotia in soybean stem.