It was announced earlier today that Asiatic Soybean Rust was detected on soybean in a sentinel plot in Leon County, FL (near Tallahassee).  This is the second confirmation of rust on soybeans in the continental US this year, and the nearest one to North Carolina.  This location is approximately 390 miles from Charlotte, 615 miles from Elizabeth City, 445 miles from Fayetteville, 325 miles from Murphy, 495 miles from Raleigh, 545 miles from Washington, 455 miles from Wilmington, and 455 miles from Winston-Salem, NC.             If soybeans are more than 100 miles from a confirmed site of rust on soybeans, we would not recommend spraying a fungicide to control rust.  If soybeans are within 100 miles of a confirmed site of rust on soybeans, we would not recommend spraying if the soybean plants have full sized beans in some of the pods at the top of the plants (stage R6), but would recommend spraying if none of the soybeans in the top of the plant are yet filling the pod cavity (stage R5).             Spraying a fungicide to prevent Asiatic Soybean Rust from developing on soybeans before the soybeans are blooming will probably require repeated applications for season-long prevention.  Be sure to check the label of the fungicide you are using to see how many times it can be used on soybeans in a season.

 

 The current status of soybean rust in the U.S. can be found at http://sbr.ipmpipe.org/cgi-bin/sbr/public.cgi.