Released July 2, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- As soybeans grow in fields across the state, farmers may begin to worry about the potential for Asian soybean rust to appear in Michigan.
For weekly updates, the state’s soybean farmers can refer to a Michigan State University (MSU) integrated pest management (IPM) program Web site specifically focused on soybean rust: http://www.ipm.msu.edu/soybean/rust.htm. The site also includes a table listing the fungicides approved for managing soybean rust.
Spread by spores, Asian soybean rust is a fungal disease that grows and flourishes in warm, humid environments. The disease typically spreads from the southern part of the United States to the north, usually not reaching the Midwest until late in the growing season. The first case of soybean rust in the United States was confirmed in Louisiana in 2004. Since then, the disease has been confirmed as far north as West Lafayette, Ind. (last year).
Soybean rust can cause extensive crop damage and yield loss. Farmers can lose upwards of 80 percent of their crop if they don’t apply fungicide before 10 percent of the field is infected.
“Michigan farmers do not need to worry about using fungicide at this point,” said field crops pathologist Diane Brown-Rytlewski. “We will keep on scouting as soybean rust progresses northward. If rust is confirmed in states bordering Michigan, growers will have advance warning.”
No cases of soybean rust have been reported in Michigan to date. Scouting for the state began on June 15. The most recent report of soybean rust was on a commercial soybean field in Hidalgo County, Texas, June 14. Ten counties in Florida are experiencing rust outbreaks in the aftermath of tropical depression Barry. This year’s first reported case was in a kudzu patch west of New Orleans in New Iberia, La., on May 8, 53 days earlier than last year’s first find.
Since 2005, MSU researchers have maintained sentinel plots across the state to scout for soybean rust and recorded their findings on the MSU soybean rust Web site.
Brown-Rytlewski works with sentinel plot coordinator Cassandra Bates to obtain current sentinel plot findings and get information out to growers. She also has delivered information on soybean rust to growers for the past two years at winter meetings.
“We will keep things updated in the CAT [Crop Advisory Team] Alerts as the soybean rust makes its way north,” Brown-Rytlewski said. “We will also keep farmers updated on our findings from the sentinel plots.”
Farmers interested in tracking the progression of soybean rust across the United States can do so by visiting the USDA “Pest Information Platform for Extension and Education” Web site, http://www.sbrusa.net/. The site includes a map of the areas of the country that have been scouted and all resulting confirmed reports of soybean rust, and information on scouting for and managing soybean rust.
A toll-free hotline (888) 201-9301 is also available for growers to get up-to-date information about soybean rust and other crop diseases.
Funding support for MSU soybean rust research is provided by the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) program, and Project GREEEN (Generating Research and Extension to meet Economic and Environmental Needs), the state’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU.
Founded in 1997, Project GREEEN is a cooperative effort between plant-based commodities and businesses together with the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, MSU Extension and the Michigan Department of Agriculture to advance Michigan’s economy through its plant-based agriculture. Its mission is to develop research and educational programs in response to industry needs, ensure and improve food safety, and protect and preserve the quality of the environment.
To learn more about Michigan’s plant agriculture initiative at MSU, visit http://www.greeen.msu.edu.
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http://anrcom.msu.edu/press/070107/070207_soybeanrust.htm
Contact: Contact: Sara Long, (517) 432-1555, ext. 170
