Urbana, Illinois
May 15, 2007
A system of 40 sentinel plots and
28 spore traps to provide producers with an early warning of the
arrival of Asian soybean rust is once again in place across the
state of Illinois.
"The plots are part of a national surveillance system initially
established during 2005 in more than 30 soybean-production
states throughout the eastern and Midwestern sections of the
country," said Linda Kull, program coordinator for the National
Soybean Research Laboratory in the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "The network is
designed to track the establishment and movement of soybean rust
during the growing season and provide timely information for
effective management decisions."
Kull points out that the sentinel plots serve as an integral
part of a coordinated national effort for the surveillance,
prediction, reporting, and management of soybean rust.
"The system has been expanded to include other hosts and pests
and a recently updated Good Farming Practices Documentation
Tool," Kull said. "This tool will assist producers in
substantiating that good farming practices were used to manage
soybean rust. Good documentation of early detection and
treatment is very important should producers need to file an
insurance claim."
This expanded program is known as the Pest Information Platform
for Extension and Education (PIPE). The system was established
through the cooperative efforts of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, the National Plant Diagnostic Network, State
University and Extension Systems, State Departments of
Agriculture, soybean Checkoff funds, and local soybean
producers.
"PIPE serves as an online, real-time observation and forecasting
system that allows growers to access the latest information
about which states and counties have confirmed the presence of
soybean rust," said Carl Bradley, plant pathologist with U of I
Extension. "The system tracks the spread of soybean rust, as
well as soybean aphids, in soybean fields across the state."
Bradley notes that State Extension specialists provide
frequently updated commentaries on the immediate soybean rust
situation and forecasts for future risks and management guide
lines.
"PIPE helps producers make timely crop-management decisions to
reduce pesticide input costs and environmental exposure to
pesticides and increase the efficiency of pesticide
applications," Bradley said. "Growers can sign up to receive
email notifications of soybean rust confirmations across the
nation."
In Illinois, the Soybean Sentinel Plot System, as part of the
national PIPE network, is supported by funds from the Illinois
Soybean Association, the Illinois Department of Agriculture, the
North Central Soybean Research Program, the United Soybean
Board, and the USDA Risk Management Agency.
Nationwide reports on the occurrence of soybean rust are
available at www.sbrusa.net. Additionally, Illinois reports from
the sentinel plots and spore traps can be found at
www.soybeanrust.org. |
|
