Growers can now find details on all aspects of soybean rust in Illinois at one convenient location on the Internet. The website at www.soybeanrust.org includes information on fungicide guidelines, crop insurance and best farming practices, forecasts for dispersion of soybean rust spores, and the latest updates from the USDA Sentinel Plot Program.

"In addition to a lot of general information on soybean rust, the website provides a link to a map with the most current scouting reports from the sentinel plots in Illinois," said Linda Kull, coordinator of Illinois Sentinel Plot System. "The sentinel plots provide an early-warning system for growers if rust begins to move across the United States."

The sentinel plot system includes 40 plots scattered around the state. Sites for the plots have been provided by the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Joliet Junior College, individual soybean producers, and industry seed companies. In addition, spore traps have been placed at ten different locations across the state.

Funding for the sentinel plot project was provided by the Illinois Soybean Checkoff Board, the North Central Soybean Research Program, the United Soybean Board, the USDA, and the Illinois Department of Agriculture.

"The soybeans planted in those plots are mostly commercial soybean varieties that are susceptible to rust," said Monte Miles, USDA research plant pathologist at the U of I. "They are evaluated on a weekly basis for any signs of soybean rust. Because rust has not yet been found in Illinois, the first sample of soybean rust in the state will be submitted to the USDA for confirmation."

Monitoring of the plots is carried out by a group of cooperating researchers at various locations around the state. Coordinators for the program in Illinois include Linda Kull from the National Soybean Research Laboratory at U of I,; Jason Bond, assistant professor of plant pathology and nematology at SIUC; Glen Hartman, USDA plant pathologist at the U of I; and Dean Malvick, Extension plant pathologist with U of I.

"It is important for producers around the state to keep a close eye on the reports from the sentinel plots," Miles said. "The time to react with a fungicide spraying program will come once soybean rust is reported within about 50 to 100 miles of a grower's field. By the time you can actually see symptoms in a field, your options to respond have been reduced."

He points pout that fungicides work best when applied before the disease is present.

"If you wait until you see the disease you are limited to using a triazole product, and even the best triazole products are not going to eliminate the disease from the field once it gets started," Miles said.

Besides the latest information from the sentinel plots, the new website provides detailed guidelines on how individual growers can submit samples of suspected soybean rust for proper identification.

Although the recent cool and dry weather has kept the risk low for rust, Miles notes that the chances of an outbreak could increase as the growing season progresses.

"We know there are spores in Florida and Georgia, and we recently had a tropical storm that brought wet weather up from the south," Miles said. "That means there is now a potential for the disease to start moving. The next six weeks or so could be crucial in determining whether or not a soybean rust epidemic develops in the U.S. this year. That makes it more important than ever to keep an eye on what is going on with the sentinel plots."