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Asian soybean rust	3/30/2007 3:04 PM
I read in a newspaper article that Asian soybean rust has been found in Iowa in the middle of March. What impact will that have on the 2007 growing season?

Answer

4/2/2007 7:21 AM

It is true that Asian soybean rust now has been conclusively identified on soybean plant tissue in Iowa. The plant tissue sample was submitted to the Iowa Soybean Rust team during the second week of March from plant tissue collected in Mahasha county. This soybean residue is reported to have been recovered from a bin of soybeans produced in Iowa in 2006. Efforts are underway to identify other remnant plant residue that may show symptoms and signs of the disease in order to discern details of this event.

The fungus and the spores that cause the disease cannot survive without green leaf tissue and will die during Iowa winters. The recently discovered rust fungus does not pose a risk of infection for the 2007 growing season in Iowa.

The confirmation of this disease in the 2006 crop does not guarantee that we will have Asian soybean rust in the 2007 Iowa soybean crop. As in previous years, producers should monitor conditions that favor rust and consult with extension specialists on identification and management plans. However, it is imperative for producers to avoid the inclination to panic and take drastic, costly and unnecessary action before positively identifying soybean rust in their fields.

Growers are encouraged to consult with Iowa Soybean Rust Team First Detectors in the 2007 growing season if they observe plants that they suspect might have soybean rust. There is no charge to consult with these First Detectors concerning possible soybean rust infections. The names and contact information for First Detectors is available on the Internet at www.soybeanrust.info and at the county extension offices.