Presence of Asian Soybean Rust in Iowa Field Confirmed

Soybean plant tissues submitted to the Iowa Soybean Rust Team was found to be infected with Asian soybean rust. It was the first time the disease has been documented in an Iowa field since it was reported in the United States in 2004.

The fungus and the spores that cause the disease cannot survive without green leaf tissue and will die during Iowa winters. The recently discovered rust fungus does not pose a risk of infection for the 2007 growing season in Iowa. "This discovery reminds us that it is possible for Iowa fields to become infected with this disease," said David Wright, director of contract research at the Iowa Soybean Association. "Nonetheless, growers should not overreact to this development. Instead, growers must be ready to act appropriately and economically in 2007 should this disease again show up in Iowa and be a threat to soybean yields."

To read more: http://www.ag.iastate.edu/aginfo/news_detail.php?var1=308.