Ontario, Canada
November 16, 2007
Source:
Ontario Soybean Growers
(OSG)
Asian Soybean Rust was detected
and confirmed for the first time on a soybean plant from a field
in Ridgetown, Ontario by the
Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
(AAFC) in Ottawa.
Over the past month OMAFRA and AAFC conducted tests on sample
soybean leaves that confirmed the disease has spread through
wind-borne spores into Ontario from the U.S. Soybean rust can
cause detrimental yield loss. Fortunately, soybean plants in
Ontario have either been harvested or are too mature for the
disease to have an effect on the 2007 crop.
"This is the first time soybean rust has infected Canadian
soybeans, however, it is too late in the growing year for the
disease to affect soybean yields," says Albert Tenuta, Field
Crop Plant Pathologist with OMAFRA. "Researcher's can't predict
how the disease will act in Canada's climate, but we do not
expect this disease to over winter in Ontario."
Soybean rust, just like other rust pathogens requires a living
host to survive, reproduce and over-winter. It is unlikely that
a winter host exists in Ontario or the northern U.S. since
potential hosts lack green tissue during the winter months.
"With the current detection of rust in Ontario and those in
northern Iowa, we may be seeing a pattern establishing which
would see more frequent movement of Asian soybean rust into the
northern soybean production areas of North America in the
future," says Tenuta. The risk of an outbreak during the next
growing season will depend on wind patterns and the spread of
airborne rust spores into the province.
"We knew soybean rust would eventually be introduced to Canada,
and that it was only a matter of time," says Dale Petrie,
General Manager of Ontario Soybean Growers. "We are fortunate
that soybean rust did not infect the crop until the fall, as a
result it is unlikely that there was any impact on the
2007 crop."
The disease, common throughout Asia and South America, was
discovered in fall 2004 in the U.S. The fungus is not harmful to
humans or animals, but it can have a crippling effect on soybean
plants and yields. Symptoms include small lesions on the lower
leaves of the infected plant that increase in size and change
from grey to tan or reddish brown on the undersides of the
leaves. Soybean rust can be managed with early detection and the
use of fungicides.
The Ontario Soybean Rust Coalition is a group of key industry
players - including government, growers, researchers, and
chemical companies - committed to monitoring and minimizing the
effects of soybean rust in Ontario.
For more information about Asian Soybean Rust resources
available visit
http://www.soybean.on.ca/rustinfo.php |
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