Source: AgAnswers, an Ohio State University and Purdue Extension Partnership

Soybean growers in the United States have two more resources for battling Asian soybean rust: a rust monitoring Web site and a fungicide manual.

The Soybean Rust Information Web site -- http://www.sbrusa.net -- managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), was launched to monitor the occurrence and movement of soybean rust throughout the country. The real-time data is based on nationwide sentinel plots, set up to be the first line of defense in identifying the disease and alerting farmers of its presence. Each state has at least 10 sentinel plots. Ohio has 45 sentinel plots; Indiana has about 30.

"This Web site is very good for us because we can monitor the movement of soybean rust as it's found based on the data coming from the sentinel plots around the U.S.," said Anne Dorrance, an Ohio State University Extension plant pathologist with the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC). "If we can find the first infections, based on these plots, this will give us plenty of lead time to get on our fungicide applications. And timing right now is the most important key to their efficacy and the best use of a grower's money."

The Web site is updated regularly, based on weekly evaluations of sentinel plots. The site features a U.S. map with scouted areas colored green (where no rust has been found) and red (where rust has been confirmed).

So far this year, soybean rust has been found in Florida and southwest Georgia. Scouting has been done throughout the Southeast U.S.

Once soybean rust is confirmed, an application strategy for potentially impacted areas is set in motion.

But what fungicides should a grower use and under what scenario? "Using Foliar Fungicides to Manage Soybean Rust," a new fungicide manual, is designed to guide a grower through soybean rust management and proper fungicide application.

"The manual outlines several different scenarios about which types of materials producers can use, depending on where rust is in the U.S. and whether it has been found in their field or not," Dorrance said.

The 60-page booklet is a multi-state, multi-organizational effort that includes a soybean rust overview, fungicide basics, information on making fungicide decisions, application basics, aerial application tips, bee toxicity and an overview of diseases similar to rust.

The publication contains articles, illustrations, photographs, maps, tables and charts, contributed by leading plant pathologists from U.S. land-grant universities, as well as experts from Canada. Ohio State, South Dakota State University and the University of Kentucky led the effort in developing and editing the booklet.

"This resource is unique in that it lays a solid foundation on which we will build our soybean rust fungicide experience in the U.S.," said Don Hershman, a plant pathologist with the University of Kentucky Extension, and an editor of the publication. "We may not yet know all there is to know about managing soybean rust with fungicides in the U.S., but no other resource exists in the world which represents so much collective wisdom on soybean rust. The editors and authors strove to develop a publication that was both easy to understand and follow, but at the same time summarized detailed scientific information in a way that was both logical and practical. I believe we have succeeded."

Added Martin Draper, South Dakota State University Extension plant pathologist, "This publication pulls together the best and most complete information known on management of soybean rust. We have a lot to learn about how this pathogen will interact with soybeans in our environment, but it is our sincere hope that the information in this publication will help growers be prepared and realize a lesser impact from soybean rust."

Draper also is an editor of the fungicide manual.

Growers and others who wish to obtain a copy of the manual can contact their local Extension offices. For bulk orders in Ohio, contact Janis Cripe at Ohio State's Section of Communications and Technology at (614) 292-1607 or by e-mail at cripe.2@osu.edu . Orders in Indiana also can be placed through Purdue's Media Distribution Center by calling toll-free at (888) 398-4636 (EXT-INFO) or by e-mail at mdchelp@agad.purdue.edu .

The price of the publication varies from state to state. Ohio State University Extension/OARDC is charging $1 per copy and Purdue Extension is charging $2. Already, about 75,000 copies of the booklet have been ordered nationally.

The publication also may be downloaded online at http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/SoyRust/index.htm .

Fungicide manual authors represent the following universities and organizations: Ohio State and Purdue; the universities of Illinois, Arkansas, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Missouri, Nebraska, Minnesota, Delaware, Tennessee and Maryland; Mississippi State University; Iowa State University; North Dakota State University; Pennsylvania State University; South Dakota State University; Louisiana State University; Michigan State University; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; Cornell University; Kansas State University; USDA Agricultural Research Services; and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food.

Support for the development of the publication was supplied through USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) Smith-Lever Special Needs funds and soybean check-off dollars through the North Central Soybean Research Program.