March 8, 2005
Source: Reuters News Service, 8 Mar 2005 [edited]

Experts find soy rust in Florida field, first in 2005

Florida scientists have found highly contagious soybean rust disease in a field in Pasco County, the 1st detection of the disease this year [2005], the University of Florida said on Tuesday [8 Mar 2005].

"The most recent detection of soybean rust in Florida is a find Feb. 23 [23 Feb 2005 find] on over-wintered foliage of kudzu in Dade City, Pasco County," the university said on its soybean rust Web site. "That is the
most southerly find so far in Florida." Kudzu is a widespread weed in the Southeastern United States. The US Agriculture Department could not immediately confirm the finding.

The USDA said last week [1st week March 2005] that farmers in the southern United States would likely devote fewer acres to soybeans this year, switching to feed grains and cotton, because of soybean rust fears. Experts
believe the disease was blown from South America into the US Gulf Coast by Hurricane Ivan last year [2004].

Farmers in Brazil, where soybean rust has been raging since 2001, have lost billions of dollars due to lost crops and fungicide costs. Last year [2004], soybean rust was found in 9 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina and Tennessee).

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ProMED-mail
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[The main concern about this outbreak in Florida is that kudzu (_Pueraria lobata_, a.k.a. Japanese arrowroot) is present throughout Florida. The fact that Asian soybean rust (_Phakopsora pachyrhizi_) has been detected earlier
than usual will likely mean greater yield loss in soybean production in the coming crop season. Moreover, more applications of fungicides will likely be required to manage the disease.

Link: <http://spdn.ifas.ufl.edu/Florida_Soybean_Rust.htm> - Mod.DH]