Soybean Rust Update August 31, 2015

from Jim Dunphy, Extension Crop Science Specialist (Soybeans)

Several confirmations of Asiatic Soybean Rust on soybeans came in over the weekend.  Since the finds mentioned in the August 21 update, rust has been confirmed on soybeans in Jefferson County, FL, and Franklin, Lee, Hinds, Pike, and Tippah counties in MS.  Lee and Tippah counties are in the northeast corner of MS, and about 265 miles from Cherokee, and 455 miles from Charlotte.  All the announced finds to date are more than 400 miles from Elizabeth City, Fayetteville, Raleigh, Washington, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem.

I do not consider these confirmations to signal any imminent threat to NC soybeans.  I still consider Steve Koenning’s (recently retired Extension Plant Pathologist) and my recommendation to not spray soybeans that have not yet bloomed, nor blooming soybeans that are more than 100 miles from confirmed presence of rust on soybeans, to be a valid recommendation for most soybeans in NC.

The current status of rust in the continental US can be found anytime at http://sbr.ipmpipe.org.