September 11, 2006

Soy crop in US state of Louisiana hit by bugs and fungus

As if dry weather affecting the soy crop is not enough to deal with, soy farmers in the US state of Louisiana have to contend with bugs and fungus as well, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center Glen Daniels said.

One of the earliest problems farmers saw with soybeans, because of the dry weather, was stress, Daniels said. Soybeans have been shedding their pods early, then try to bloom again instead of maturing naturally due to the varying temperatures of the last few months.

Another problem seen in several parishes has been a breakout of Cercospora, a fungus that ruins the quality of the soybean yields.

This fungus, Daniels said, is known by its purple coloration on the leaf and stem of the soybean plant and causes the bean to foliate earlier than expected, therefore lowering the quality of the bean crop, Daniels said.

Farmers can prevent this fungus by spraying fungicide twice during the season, although it may be cost-prohibitive to do so.

Farmers often spray only once but often, it is too late and the quality is already bad, Daniels said.

Bugs pose another vexing problem, Daniels said, especially an infestation by the Red-shouldered Stinkbug.

According to the LSU Agricultural Centre, the bug damages the plants after pods start forming by sucking out the contents of the bean, sometimes resulting in a complete loss of the bean.

Daniels said the bug can move from soybeans to different crops, like corn and cotton.

The bugs are also very determined in that they may return just one week after spraying, Daniels said.