2008 Year in Review

Ideal Conditions to Move Soybean Rust Northward

While soybean rust has not yet played a significant role in Illinois farmers production strategies, conditions down south threaten to change that. Hurricane season kicked off for the U.S. this week with hurricane Dolly coming ashore in Texas. Hurricane winds in the Gulf of Mexico last year were implicated in blowing spores northward to Illinois, but they came later in the season when soybeans were past the susceptible time.

According to Carl Bradley, Illinois soybean rust sentinel plot coordinator and extension plant pathologist, this is a critical time for Illinois soybeans. “Nearly half the soybeans in the state are at the susceptible stage, and if rust were to land in Illinois, it could have dramatic economic implications.”

The National Ag Statistics Service reported on Monday that 39 percent of Illinois soybeans are blooming and that six percent are setting pods. Soybean rust is most damaging when soybeans are between the R1 and R5 stage.

“The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) has been a strong supporter of the soybean rust sentinel plot program,” said Ken Dalenberg, chairman of the ISA supply committee and soybean grower from Mansfield, Ill. “Being proactive in rust monitoring will benefit soybean growers if rust ever reaches Illinois soil during critical soybean growth stages.

The soybean sentinel plot program, funded in part with soybean checkoff funds, has 40 locations in Illinois.

“We’re doing basic monitoring of the plots right now,” Bradley said. “Our plan is to watch this hurricane and watch for rainout events that might impact Illinois.”

Predictive models indicate that spores from the Texas and Louisiana areas are the most likely source of rust spores for Illinois. So far this year, only three counties in both Texas and Louisiana have reported instances of rust.

Bradley encourages producers to continue to scout for soybean rust and to monitor web sites to track reports of rust.

“There has been little rust activity in Texas this year because of dry conditions there, but bringing moisture into the area with the hurricane could encourage spore development,” he said. Spores are not very hearty and require just the right conditions to thrive, including cloudy skies, moisture and moderate temperatures.

National updates of spore reports can be found at IPM PIPE. The Illinois Rust Information Center provides updates by county for Illinois.

The Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) provides funding for the 40 soybean rust sentinel plots in Illinois, along with the USDA and North Central Soybean Research Program. Glen Hartman with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Jason Bond with Southern Illinois University are also part of the sentinel plot team.

ISA is the statewide organization for Illinois soybean farmers. The farmers on its board administer soybean checkoff funds to support research, promotions and educational programs designed to increase demand for Illinois soybeans and administer legislation and membership programs. Contact ISA at 309-663-7692

by  Editor, theCity1.com
July 31, 2008