MONTEREY &8212; Concordia Parish soybeans were hit hard by stress this year, Glen Daniels said Thursday.

The Louisiana State University Agricultural Center&8217;s county agent said over 10,000 acres of soybeans throughout the parish have been affected by Environmental Stress Syndrome.

&8220;This could be due to any number of factors, including the heat, drought or even the recent rainfall we&8217;ve had at the last minute before harvest time,&8221; Daniels said.

Environmental Stress Syndrome occurs when soybeans mature too early and begin to reproduce another bean pod.

&8220;By the time this happens, it&8217;s too late,&8221; Daniels said.

Professor of plant pathology at the LSU AgCenter in Baton Rouge, Clayton Hollier said there is not much farmers can do about their decimated crop.

&8220;Unfortunately, farmers are just victims of circumstance,&8221; Hollier said.

When farmers see the new pods on the beans often the pods are bear or contain smaller beans, which can reduce the farmers profit significantly, Hollier said.

Hollier said soybean variety did not make a difference in preventing the disease either.

Even irrigated fields were affected this year, Hollier said.