The U.S. Department of Agriculture received notification today from the state of Georgia confirming the presence of Phakopsora pachyrhizi, or soybean rust, on soybean leaf samples taken in Seminole county, Georgia.

Asiatic soybean rust, caused by the fungal pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi, was positively identified by diagnosticians at the University of Georgia’s Plant Disease Clinic located in Tifton, Ga., on April 27. This is the first soybean rust find on soybean plants in the 2005 growing season. USDA is updating the soybean rust tracking feature on its Web site to keep soybean growers informed of where the disease was found, and given prevailing weather patterns, where it will most likely appear next.

Phakopsora pachyrhizi, a fungal species that has significantly reduced soybean yields in other parts of the world, is spread primarily by wind–borne spores capable of being transported over long distances. Last year, this species of the fungus was first detected on soybean leaf samples taken in Louisiana. The disease was also found in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina and Tennessee.

In April, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in conjunction with USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service and Risk Management Agency launched the USDA Soybean Rust Web site as part of a national soybean rust plant disease surveillance and monitoring network.

The one–stop federal resource, www.usda.gov/soybeanrust, gives users up–to–date forecasts on where soybean rust is likely to appear in the United States, reports where the disease exists by county, refers growers to county extension agents nationwide, lists the National Plant Diagnostic Network laboratories and links to other Web sites to give producers effective disease management options. Growers, producers and other interested parties can now sign up on the Web site to receive e–mail alerts that are sent when new finds are discovered or important information becomes available.

USDA encourages growers to contact USDA's Extension Service, their state department of agriculture and their crop consultants to obtain information on what fungicides are registered for use in their states, as well as when these fungicides should be used.