October 5, 2006

Soy rust infection on beans in Florida and Georgia

The USDA has confirmed several new incidences of Asian soybean rust on soybeans.

Soybean rust is a devastating fungal disease of soy. Cases of rust were confirmed in three counties in Florida: Holmes, Walton, both of which recorded positive last year too and Washington making the first such case.

According to the USDA, even as the beans were in dry condition, rust in the infected areas continued to spread. Also, with the exception of the late planted crop, most of the commercial beans were in the late reproductive stages.

The USDA also confirmed seven such cases in the commercial fields of Georgia over the past two weeks, with four in George County.

The USDA accounts this to monitoring late maturing beans and kudzu for new infections as most of the crop had been harvested. About 98 percent of the crop had dropped leaves and 91 percent already harvested by Sunday this week.

For the year to date, about  71 counties across eight states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas) complained of rust on beans.