CURRENT TEXAS SITUATION: June 24, 2009

A trace amount of soybean rust was found on June 20 in a kudzu patch in Livingston, in East Texas. No rust has been detected in other kudzu patches in East Texas, or in soybeans in other parts of the state.

Photos:

• * Symptoms of downy mildew on a soybean leaf. This disease will not cause losses to soybeans in Texas
• * Symptoms of Asian soybean rust (red arrow) found on soybean from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. in 2007. Note extensive mite damage (white specks).
• * Symptoms of Asian soybean rust (red arrow) on soybean from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas in 2007.

PROGNOSIS:

Prolonged dry conditions throughout most of Texas will not support any rust epidemic in the foreseeable future. Based on prior observations, with the current dry weather, the rust within that kudzu patch in Livingston will not substantially increase. I do not consider this kudzu patch to be an important source of spores. Last year, rust failed to spread to other kudzu patches on the same road as this patch. The current weather model shows that spores from this source are not moving into soybean production areas of the state. For that matter, spores from other states with soybean rust are not moving into Texas.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

With the absence of rust from any area of the state where soybeans are produced and with very dry conditions throughout most of the state, I am not recommending fungicide applications in any areas of the state at this time.

Keep scouting. Send suspicious leaves to our lab for confirmation of rust.