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Soybean Rust found earlier than normal in the south

Soybean rust has been detected earlier than normal in southern states and an agronomist says the conditions are right for even more outbreaks.  Stephanie Porter with Burrus Seed says the disease definitely likes long, extended periods of wetness.  “It will cause disease when temperatures are anywhere from 60 to 85 degrees,” she says.

While Soybean Rust can make its way into the Corn Belt, Porter says it typically happens in the fall and isn’t as much of a concern.

But she says, there is always a possibility for it to move in earlier.  “There’s no need for alarm yet,” she says.  “When we start seeing it reach Arkansas or Kentucky, that’s when we are on high alert.  The plant pathologist and university crop consultants are usually out looking for it.”

Porter says soybean rust can rob plants of up to 50 percent of yield and early detection and treatment are key.  “You look for pustules or lesions that start at the lower part of the canopy and moves its way up,” she says.  “It really is one of the most detrimental diseases to soybeans – that we know of.”

Typically it takes a strong weather system to move the spores into Midwest soybean acres.

Farmers can monitor the movement of Soybean Rust via USDA’s Pest Information Platform for Extension and Education (PIPE) map.

AUDIO: Stephanie Porter, Burrus Seed