Urbana, Illinois
September 26, 2007
Soybean rust has been detected for
the first time in Illinois during the 2007 growing season from a
field in the southern part of the state, according to experts
from University of Illinois
Extension.
"The arrival of rust so late in the year will have no impact on
the 2007soybean crop," said Extension plant pathologist Carl
Bradley. "The soybean harvest is already well underway across
much of the state. No management actions should be undertaken by
growers or commercial applicators at this time as the soybeans
are at a growth stage in which they will not incur yield
losses."
The discovery was made in extreme southern Illinois in Massac
County near the border with Kentucky. The infected sample was
collected by Ron Hines, a trained soybean rust scout with
Gromark.
The presence of rust in the sample was confirmed both visually
and through DNA testing by plant pathologist Glen Hartman from
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
"The discovery of soybean rust in the southern part of Illinois
again this late in the season was not unexpected," Bradley said.
"Plant Pathologists from the state of Kentucky had recently
reported the presence of the disease in a county directly
adjacent to that section of Illinois."
Bradley is currently sampling fields in adjacent counties to
determine the extent and distribution of the outbreak.
"If infection occurs during the vegetative and early
reproductive growth stages for soybeans, this disease can cause
significant defoliation of the plant and subsequent loss in
yield or even death of the plant," Bradley said. "Luckily the
outbreak this time came late in the season and will have no
significant impact on the crop."
Guidelines for management and additional information on soybean
rust are available on the national soybean rust website at
http://www.sbrusa.net/ and
the Illinois soybean rust information center at
http://www.soybeanrust.org/ |
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