November 19, 2004
From: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services [edited]

Soybean rust confirmed in Florida

Florida agriculture commissioner Charles H Bronson announced today that a US Department of Agriculture (USDA) laboratory in Beltsville, MD confirmed soybean rust [SR] samples collected from an experimental test plot managed by the University of Florida/Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) in Quincy, Florida . SR was also found and confirmed several days earlier in Louisiana and Mississippi. Pathologists strongly suspect that
Hurricane Ivan, which hit the panhandle of Florida in mid-September 2004, is responsible for the spread of the disease from South America.

UF/IFAS extension agents were prompted to look in their soybean test plots because of notification by Louisiana State University that SR had been found in their extension service test plots.

The SR pathogen (_Phakopsora pachyrhizi_), which is easily spread through windborne spores, is a fungus that causes small pustular lesions on the foliage and pods of soybeans and several other legume hosts, including lima beans. SR also infects kudzu, the exotic nuisance weed that has spread throughout Florida, serving as a reservoir for the SR pathogen. Forage legumes, such as yellow sweet clover, also serve as a refuge for SR in the
off season.

Severe outbreaks in the last few years in South America have heightened concern for the spread of the disease to North American soybean growers. In other countries, it is not unusual for SR to reduce yields by 50 per cent or more.

Florida grows about 11 000 acres of soybean. While this is the first instance of SR to be found in the United States, the detection comes at a time when most soybeans have been harvested in the state. As a result, the impact of the fungus this season should be minimal.

The Department is working jointly with the University of Florida/IFAS and the USDA to mobilize survey efforts to immediately determine the extent of the disease occurrence, coordinate diagnostic activities, and conduct
training of both surveyors and growers for accurate detection of the disease.

Current management strategies include emphasis on early detection and timely fungicide applications. Over time, SR-resistant varieties may become available. A coordinated approach will be required by all soybean-producing
states to effectively manage this disease.

[In an update issued 19 Nov 2004, researchers at USDA's National Plant Germplasm and Biotechnology Laboratory in Beltsville, MD, said that soybean leaf samples collected in Alabama and Georgia on Wednesday tested positive for _Phakopsora pachyrhizi,_ or soybean rust, and a kudzu leaf sample taken in Florida was also infected with the disease.

Kudzu is an invasive plant that can serve as a "host" for the fungus that causes the disease. SR has now been detected in 5 states (Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Mississippi). It now appears that SR is more
widespread than thought in the south eastern US. The number of confirmed cases of SR in south eastern US is 10.

Link: <http://www.aphis.usda.gov/lpa/issues/sbr/updates/sbr_update11-19.html> -Mod.DH]