“We’re catching a lot of Green Stem soybeans this year,” says Purdue Extension Soybean Specialist Shaun Casteel. It can prevent the stems from drying down properly and cause the stems to remain green after seeds are mature. The green stems are tough, hard to cut, and more likely to plug the combine. On the latest episode of the Purdue Crop Chat podcast, Casteel talks about Green Stem Syndrome and the problems it’s causing during harvest. So, we have the nasty combination around 9-to-10 percent moisture in beans with green stems and have to slow down the harvest.”Casteel says that soybeans producers with fields showing green stem syndrome have two options.