Source: Jim Dunphy, Extension Soybean Specialist, Steve Koenning, Extension Plant Pathologist, NCSU, 9/9/13

Asiatic Soybean Rust has been confirmed in several more South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia counties, including Union County, GA, and York County, South Carolina.  This puts rust within 100 miles of more of our North Carolina soybeans. which would  warrant a fungicide recommendation for soybeans that have started blooming, and do not yet have full sized seeds in the top four nodes of the plant..   The closest confirmed rust on soybeans to our North Carolina soybeans is now approximately 30 miles from Charlotte, 210 miles from Elizabeth City, 35 miles from Fayetteville, 20 miles from Murphy, 85 miles from Raleigh, 145 miles from Washington, 155 miles from Wilmington, and 95 miles from Winston-Salem, NC. (The mileages in red are changes from our previous update.)

            Rust has now been confirmed this year on soybeans in 84 counties/parishes in eight states (LA, FL, AL, MS, GA, NC, SC & AR).

            Rust has progressed at a faster rate this year than in years past.  With a late soybean crop, the odds of needing to apply a fungicide are increased.  Now is the time to spray a fungicide in much of the state, and to check spray equipment and be sure to have the proper nozzles for applying fungicides in the other parts of the state. 

          We do not recommend spraying soybeans that have not started blooming with a fungicide to control Asiatic soybean rust.  Such pre-bloom applications have seldom improved yields.   Once soybeans start blooming, we would recommend spraying if rust has been confirmed within 100 miles of the field.

               Some sources for more detailed information on Asiatic soybean rust are listed below:

The USDA soybean rust web site http://www.sbrusa.net/