Soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is one of the most costly and persistent barriers to soybean performance, but the damage it causes isn’t always easy to see. A field can appear healthy even as SCN quietly chips away at yield potential, causing yield losses up to 30% without visible aboveground symptoms.1
“SCN injury doesn’t always look like a crop in trouble,” says Mike McCarville, Technical Marketing Manager at BASF. “It can look like a healthy field that just doesn’t yield as well as it could.”
Introducing the Enlist E3® and Nemasphere™ Trait System
Coming in 2028*, the Enlist E3® trait, jointly developed and owned by Corteva and M.S. Technologies, L.L.C., and the Nemasphere™ nematode resistance trait from BASF will bring season-long SCN protection into leading soybean genetics.
The first-and-only Bt trait for SCN control, the Nemasphere trait delivers a novel mode of action for managing SCN and brings mesotrione tolerance for additional residual herbicide options on your soybean acres. In combination with the Enlist E3 trait, this system provides tolerance to four industry-leading herbicides, for comprehensive and season-long weed control.
The Enlist E3 and Nemasphere trait system delivers an integrated protection approach, pushing soybean performance further and helping drive yield from all angles.
How The Nemasphere Trait Works
The Nemasphere trait expresses a Bt protein, Cry14Ab, throughout the plant. When ingested, it disrupts the nematode gut lining, causing them to stop feeding and die.
“The built-in Bt protection from the Nemasphere trait grows with the plant,” says McCarville. “That means farmers get SCN control that lasts all season long.”
Working Alongside Native Traits
The Enlist E3 and Nemasphere trait system builds on the foundation that SCN native traits have established, bringing an additional mode of action to protect yield potential.
Nemasphere Trait In-Field Performance
“Varieties with the Enlist E3 and Nemasphere trait system are stacked with at least one native trait, either PI 88788 or Peking, for multiple modes of action against SCN,” says McCarville. “This provides built-in resistance management — the Nemasphere trait helps to protect the long-term efficacy of the native trait, and vice versa.”
No refuge will be required when planting varieties containing the Enlist E3 and Nemasphere trait system.
Adding Mesotrione Tolerance for Powerful Soybean Herbicide Programs
In addition to 2,4-D choline, glyphosate and glufosinate, the Enlist E3 and Nemasphere trait system gives farmers the ability to apply mesotrione pre-emergence.
“Mesotrione has been a trusted active ingredient on corn acres for years,” says McCarville. “This trait system gives farmers an additional, trusted option for residual chemistry on their soybean acres for control of tough weeds like waterhemp, and carryover protection from previous seasons’ mesotrione applications.”
What Role Do Seed Treatments Play?
Seed treatments remain an important tool to complement the Enlist E3 and Nemasphere trait system, providing additional modes of action against SDS and other soilborne diseases.
Looking Ahead
“Farmers expect new trait technology to bring meaningful value to the acre,” says McCarville. “The Nemasphere trait represents the next evolution of a system they already know, with additional mesotrione tolerance and SCN control for more tools to protect their soybean acres.”
The Enlist E3 and Nemasphere trait system will be available across multiple trusted seed brands for the 2028 season.* To learn more, visit Nemasphere.com or contact your local retailer or BASF representative.
Sources
1 The SCN Coalition. “Soybean Cyst Nematode Management Guide,” 2026.
* Pending regulatory approval
Legal:
Always read and follow label directions. The Nemasphere™ trait technology with mesotrione tolerance is owned and developed by BASF. Nemasphere is a trademark of BASF, ILEVO is a registered trademark of BASF. The transgenic soybean event in Enlist E3® soybeans is jointly developed and owned by Corteva Agriscience and M.S. Technologies, L.L.C. BASF licensed its Nemasphere™ nematode resistance soybean trait to Corteva and M.S. Technologies, L.L.C. for use with Enlist E3® soybeans. Enlist E3® is a trademark of Corteva Agriscience.
