Soybean Rust Found in Louisiana

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed a case of Asian soybean rust in the continental United States. Soybean leaf samples taken from two plots associated with a Louisiana State University research farm Saturday were positively confirmed to have the yield-devastating disease.

The research farm is located near Baton Rouge. APHIS officials report they believe the pathogen was carried to the United States during the recent hurricane season.

USDA will dispatch its soybean rust detection assessment team, composed of scientific experts and regulatory officials, to the site within 24 hours. The assessment team will work closely with Louisiana State Department of Agriculture representatives to assess the situation and conduct surveillance around the detection site to determine the extent of the disease spread.

Most commercial soybean harvest is complete, hopefully keeping the impact to a minimal this year. David Lanclos, soybean specialist with Louisiana State University's AgCenter says there's between 30,000 to 50,000 acres of commercial beans still in the fields in Louisiana.

"As soon as this news starts circulating around the coffee shops today, I think these farmers are going to go crank their combines to go cut whatever they have left," Lanclos says. "And they probably are going to store it. I don't think they will be bringing them to the elevator. They are going to be looking for storage because if they realize the price of beans are going to go up, they'll hold them."

While the harvest for this year is nearing completion, during next year's planting season, producers will need to watch for symptoms of the fungus such as small lesions on the lower leaves of the infected plant that increase in size and change from gray to tan or reddish brown on the undersides of the leaves.

Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) Deputy Administrator Ric Dunkle recommends any producers who still have soybeans in the field to contact their local extension office for testing. Dunkle says the entire Gulf coast region will be surveyed.

With the case being found in a research farm and having active surveillance, the chances for the disease being widespread are "very high," Dunkle says. More should be known once a more thorough assessment of the area is complete. The spores inability to overwinter in many northern regions should benefit disease management.