Iowa soybean rust team prepares for possible Asian disease

Asian soybean rust hasn’t hit North America, but the Iowa soybean rust team will be prepared if it does. Iowa State University Extension, the College of Agriculture, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Soybean Association and USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service have joined together on “fast track” rust identification — an action plan to detect soybean rust.

According to Greg Tylka, training coordinator and spokesperson for the ISU soybean rust team and professor in plant pathology, soybean rust is a major concern not only for Iowa farmers, but also for everyone who lives in Iowa.

“Soybeans are a multi-billion dollar contributor to the Iowa economy, and we take any threat to the crop very seriously,” Tylka said about the threat of rust. “If this disease shows up, we want to be prepared for it.”

The new identification system consists of three layers of trained personnel to identify and react to soybean rust. In early July, the team trained approximately 400 certified crop consultants, certified professional agronomists and independent crop consultants as first detectors.

“We have gotten very positive feedback from attendees,” said David Wright, director of production technology at the Iowa Soybean Association.

Ellen Broesder, a crop consultant from north central Iowa, trained as a first detector because she saw the need to have “many educated and qualified people out in the field.” The training helped her learn the difference between Asian soybean rust and similar diseases, she said. (Two common diseases often confused with soybean rust are brown spot and bacterial blight.)

First detectors are very critical to early detection of soybean rust, Wright said. Many of the first detectors work for local co-ops and spend a lot of time scouting soybean fields to detect rust.

“Through the sheer number and amount of time these detectors spend in the field, they are the most likely to identify soybean rust,” Wright said.

Agronomists or farmers who suspect soybean rust can take samples to a first detector. They also can check the Web site, www.soybeanrust.info, for more information.

Greg Tylka, ISU plant pathologist, talks to crop professionals at a soybean rust first detector training session.

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The Extension Connection is a quarterly publication of Iowa State University Extension.

Laura Sternweis, editor, lsternwe@iastate.edu

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Last update: October 2004

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