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FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky soybean farmers should keep up with the latest information on soybean rust and prepare to fight the fungus that causes the disease if it is detected in the Commonwealth next year, University of Kentucky researchers and Kentucky Department of Agriculture officials said.
“Soybean rust is right on our doorstep,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “We are fortunate that it is approaching at a time when Kentucky’s soybean crop is pretty much all in the bins. Our farmers will have time to get ready for it if it overwinters close by or blows into Kentucky next year.”
UK researchers are educating county Extension agents about soybean rust’s appearance, where it can be found on plants, what conditions it prefers and other characteristics, said Jimmy Henning, assistant director for agriculture and natural resources with the UK College of Agriculture. Every agent in the state should be brought up to speed by late February, he said. A series of meetings will be conducted across the Commonwealth in January and February to help producers learn more about soybean rust.
The state Agriculture Department is exploring adding a soybean rust component to its education program for pesticide applicators. Continuing education units would be awarded if the new component is added.
A national soybean rust monitoring system is being established using “sentinel” soybean plots that will be planted ahead of normal planting time for soybeans, said Don Hershman, a plant pathologist with the UK College of Agriculture. Officials, researchers and Extension agents will be watching for soybean rust discoveries to the south to chart its progress and gauge when and where it might arrive in Kentucky, he said.
“We should have plenty of warning to do what needs to be done at the proper time,” Hershman said.
Between now and spring planting, farmers should review the UK and U.S. Department of Agriculture Web sites and other sources for soybean rust information. They should consult with their county Extension agents to learn how to recognize the disease and what fungicides to use if they have to spray for soybean rust, Henning and Hershman said. They said growers should make sure they have the proper equipment set at the proper calibration to apply the fungicide and determine in advance what fungicides are available from their suppliers.
“Farmers need to re-evaluate their ability to apply fungicides in a timely manner,” Hershman said. “They need to be prepared to spray fungicides when and if the time comes.”
Ten fungicides currently are labeled for use against soybean rust under special registrations. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is authorized to issue special registrations, and UK typically provides technical assistance to develop the data to justify a special registration.
Soybean rust was discovered in the United States for the first time on Nov. 10 in Louisiana. It since has been found in eight other states, including northeastern Arkansas, southeastern Missouri and western Tennessee.
The spores that cause soybean rust are believed to have been carried by the hurricane-force winds that swept into the southeastern United States last summer. The spores can survive a mild winter and thrive in warm, moist conditions.
Soybean rust appears as tan or reddish-brown lesions on the underside of soybean leaves as well as other parts of the plant, according to USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. It has been known to infect other legumes such as green beans and pinto beans. It can be controlled by using fungicides but can increase production costs as much as 25 percent, Hershman said.
A USDA study released earlier this month estimated losses due to soybean rust across all U.S. agricultural producers and consumers at between $240 million and $2 billion a year after the first full year of infestation, depending on the severity and extent of an outbreak.
Current information on soybean rust is available on UK’s soybean rust Web site, www.ca.uky.edu/agcollege/plantpathology/PPAExten/SoybeanRust.htm. The site is updated daily as more is learned about soybean rust.
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