Soybean rust outbreaks

Nov 1, 2007 12:00 PM

Asian Soybean rust finally made an appearance in Iowa, Illinois and Kansas soybean fields. But the appearance in late September came too late for it to cause much if any damage.

“It confirms that soybean rust can develop in Iowa,” says Curt Sindergard, Iowa Soybean Association president. “We are fortunate that this disease was found at a time when it will have little economic impact for soybean producers.”

Illinois Extension plant pathologist Carl Bradley reports that rust appeared too late in his state to cause any damage. It was discovered in southern Illinois near the border with Kentucky where rust was found earlier.

“The discovery of soybean rust in the southern part of Illinois again this late in the season was not unexpected,” Bradley says. “The arrival of rust so late in the year will have no impact on the 2007 soybean crop.”

Soybean rust outbreaks this year occurred in 13 states, with most of the states in southern soybean-growing areas, such as Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Texas.