Volume
4 Issue 2 May
22, 2007
Asian Soybean Rust Update:
Iowa officials find no additional evidence of Asian soybean rust
A report came out in March about the confirmation
of finding a single soybean leaf infected with soybean rust taken
from a bin of soybeans harvested in Mahaska County Iowa in 2006.
Needless to say, this report triggered further investigation to
attempt to determine to what extent a problem may have occurred.
Iowa officials have recently published a report on their findings
to date. The following is summarized from a story appearing in the
Integrated Crop Management newsletter, Iowa State
University, on pages 155-156 of the IC-498(11) -- May 21, 2007 issue
and can be found at:
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/icm/2007/5-21/asr.html
Officials with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land
Stewardship (IDALS) and Iowa State University (ISU) have found no
further evidence of Asian soybean rust in the field where the leaf
was reported to have come or in neighboring fields.
"We did verify that one leaf submitted in a plant sample was
infected with Asian soybean rust, but how it got into Iowa still
needs to be determined," said Bill Northey, Iowa Secretary of
Agriculture. "After careful examination of the materials collected
to date, we believe no Asian soybean rust infection occurred during
the 2006 growing season in Iowa.
Following the initial sample submission and confirmation of the
rust infection personnel from IDALS and Iowa State University
collected additional samples of seed and plant materials from bins
at the location where the sample was allegedly collected. They
analyzed the samples and found no symptoms or signs of Asian soybean
rust. IDALS and Iowa State University personnel extensively
collected remnants of leaves from the field where the submitted
sample reportedly was harvested, as well as from adjacent fields.
Although many leaves had symptoms of a common soybean foliar disease
called frogeye leaf spot, the officials found none had symptoms or
signs of Asian soybean rust.
When the infected leaf was discovered in March, the Iowa Soybean
Rust Team was quick to point out that it did not pose a risk for the
2007 growing season. The fungus and spores that cause the disease
cannot survive an Iowa winter as they require green leaf tissue to
sustain themselves.
Authors: Brian Meyer is director of the College
of Agriculture Communications Service at Iowa State University.
Dustin Vande Hoef is communications director for the Iowa Department
of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. This article originally
appeared on pages 155-156 of the IC-498(11) -- May 21, 2007 issue.
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