The American Phytopathological Society (APS), in conjunction with the Plant Management Network (PMN) and other scientific organizations, is overseeing a new online soybean rust center at http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/infocenter.

Visitors do not need a subscription to PMN to access the online center.

The site, co-organized by APS, the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Plant Health Initiative, is designed to serve as a clearinghouse of information on soybean rust, which was recently found in the continental U.S. Other sponsors of the soybean rust webpage include Syngenta Crop Protection,
Pioneer Hi-Bred, Valent BioSciences, CropLife America, the Canadian Society of Agronomy, and more than 20 state land-grant universities.

"This site is the one-stop center for information on soybean rust," said Doug Jardine, director of the APS Office of Public Affairs and Education. "Since there are a number of sites dedicated to soybean rust, it can be very time consuming to visit different sites to find what you are looking for and continually check each of those sites for new information. We have combined valuable information from these sites and from other resources into one central area. Now, people searching for the latest information on soybean rust can find what they are looking for with the fewest number of clicks," Jardine said.

The site offers breaking news on soybean rust; links to featured soybean rust sites, including government, national, international, and university sites; and a soybean rust database that visitors can use to find information on the identification and management of soybean rust as well as links to university and extension sites. The site also offers a searchable soybean rust image database; soybean rust distribution maps; and soybean rust identification training materials.

PMN is a not-for-profit online resource for applied multidisciplinary science-based plant and agricultural management information and communication made possible by PMN partners. PMN publishes four science-based applied journals - Applied Turfgrass Science, Crop Management, Plant Health Progress, and Forage and Grazinglands - an image database, three field trials publications, a plant science database of more than 4,000 fact sheets and other web-based resources, and a monthly newsletter. PMN also offers continuing education units to Certified Crop Advisers through its education and training center.

The American Phytopathological Society (APS) is a non-profit, professional scientific organization. The research of the organization’s 5,000 worldwide members advances the understanding of the science of plant pathology and its application to plant health.