NEWS RELEASE

Asian soybean rust confimed in Florida and Alabama "sentinel plots"

URBANDALE, Iowa - (July 5, 2005)
Contact: David Wright (515) 251-8640 or Gerry Whitty (920) 674-4026

University and government researchers recently confirmed that Asian soybean rust (ASR) has been found on soybeans in two sentinel research plots in Alabama and Florida.

“Asian soybean rust has been verified in a plot in Baldwin County, Alabama. It’s the southernmost county in Alabama, near the Gulf of Mexico,” says David Wright, Ph.D., director of the North Central Soybean Research Program’s (NCSRP) Plant Health Initiative (PHI) program. “ASR also has been confirmed on a sentinel plot in Marion County, in the north-central part of Florida.”

In addition, six Florida counties have now reported finding ASR on kudzu. The most recent find is in northern Florida’s Leon County.

Don't panic

“The sentinel plot finds are significant, because they demonstrate that rust is starting to move beyond Florida, ”Wright says. “However, we don’t want soybean growers to panic”.

“Even with the new confirmations, growers need to understand that it’s still a very small source of inoculum. We’re not talking about huge swaths of affected acreage. We’re talking about a leaf here, and a leaf there,” he adds.

He also cautions growers to be skeptical when they hear about rust-like spores being found in air traps. “There are all kinds of rust spores out there, but it’s very difficult to differentiate them visually,” Wright explains. “To date, none of the ‘rust-like spores’ picked up in the air traps have been confirmed as ASR through genetic analysis.”

Another “watch out” for growers: Detection of ASR spores does not necessarily mean imminent disease. “You need to have the presence of viable spores along with the correct weather conditions before an infection can take place. You then need to have the presence of the disease confirmed before you start making fungicide applications,” he says.

Tracking the spread of ASR

The sentinel plot system - the research program at the heart of the two confirmed ASR cases on soybeans - was developed jointly by the NCSRP, the United Soybean Board (USB), and several USDA agencies. Established in key soybean-producing states, the program is a safety net to help producers detect and prepare for Asian rust.

“Soybean checkoff organizations and the federal government teamed up to create this early-warning system for soybean producers,” says Wright. “Trained experts are monitoring local sentinel plots and feeding information about the presence of ASR into a central computer network, for immediate access by experts and growers.

“This sentinel plot program allows us to effectively monitor movement of ASR in the United States, and provide soybean producers with timely information - along with risk assessments by state - so they can make effective management decisions,” Wright adds.

Information from the sentinel plots is mapped and posted on the USDA Public Soybean Rust website.

Information on these pages is from the cooperative effort of researchers throughout the North Central states. Information from this site can be copied and distributed for educational use. Please credit the source with our name and URL: NCSRP Plant Health Initiative at www.planthealth.info. Please do not use copyrighted photos without permission.