On September 17, 2013 soybean (SBR) rust was observed and confirmed on soybean leaves (10/34 leaflets, 2% leaf coverage) collected from one of the Tidewater AREC sentinel plots on September 5. Suffolk is the only county in Virginia thus far with confirmed soybean rust, but we will now intensify our scouting efforts throughout the soybean-growing regions of the state.

So far in 2013, SBR has been confirmed on soybeans in 185 counties/parishes in 10 states in the U.S. (AL, GA, FL, MS, LA, SC, AR, NC, TN, and VA) including two counties in North Carolina and one county in SE Virginia.

Soybean sentinel plots and commercial fields are monitored annually for early detection of SBR and tracking of disease spread. Data are used to make recommendations for timely applications of fungicide sprays for control of SBR. Since August, soybean leaflets from sentinel plots at the Virginia Tech Tidewater AREC in Suffolk, VA have been evaluated on a weekly basis, and as in prior years, the first report of SBR in Virginia was from one of these sentinel plots. Other diseases in soybeans at this time include Cercospora blight, brown spot, frogeye leaf spot, and anthracnose.

Risk of yield loss in soybean is minimal if SBR is detected following the R6 development stage. However, growers with soybeans that have not yet reached the R6 stage should consider spraying fungicides for control of SBR (triazole or pre-mix fungicide). This is particularly relevant for late-maturing/double-cropped soybean.

Updates will be emailed weekly as we track the progress of SBR spread and disease development throughout Virginia.

NOTE: I would like to introduce myself as the new Extension Plant Pathologist (replacement for Dr. Pat Phipps) at the Virginia Tech Tidewater AREC in Suffolk, VA. My focus is plant disease management in field crops for the state of Virginia. My contact information is the following: Hillary L. Mehl, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Plant Pathology; Virginia Tech Tidewater AREC, 6321 Holland Road, Suffolk, VA 23437; Telephone: (757) 657-6450, ext. 423; Cell: (530) 906-0807; email: hlmehl@vt.edu