Kentucky News updated as of August 14, 2007

• Hello Everyone,
  
  Since yesterday’s update where I told you about four new SBR finds in Georgia, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana, there has been another confirmation – in Washington County, Mississippi, smack in the middle of the Mississippi Delta (see map, below). According to the Mississippi State commentary on www.sbrusa.net: “Soybean rust was found in a Washington County sentinel plot on August 12. This plot was destroyed on August 13th, but infection still remains in a neighboring experiment, which will be harvested this week. The delta has been heavily scouted for the last three weeks and was intensely scouted yesterday.”
  
  I expect to see more SBR finds in the deep South soon.
  
  I want to continue to remind you, that in order for soybean rust to be a problem in Kentucky, the disease must first build up to substantial levels somewhere south of us. This build-up is now taking place in parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. Generally, spores of the rust fungus are predicted to be moving primarily into states west of Kentucky. However, spores could be moved into Kentucky any time now if a tropical or mid-latitude storm system moves through the lower Midsouth and into Kentucky. This said, there continues to be absolutely NO REASON to apply a fungicide for soybean rust management in Kentucky at this time. If the disease follows the path I have just described, it will take 10-14 days for us to see evidence of disease following spore deposition. Initially, the incidence and severity levels will be very low. Once we see evidence of low levels of soybean rust in or very near Kentucky, then would be the time to begin making fungicide applications, but not until then. In my opinion, the absolute earliest we may need to treat here is late-August. By that time, most full-season crops will be well into pod fill and may not need to be treated. Doublecrop beans continue to be at the greatest risk for possible damage by SBR. Of course, if no tropical storms or multi-day wet periods pass through Kentucky during August, we may end up with a repeat of 2006 where no spraying for SBR was needed.
  
  The soybean rust status in Kentucky can change rapidly, so please continue to monitor www.sbrusa.net site and call into the KY Soybean Promotion Board’s SBR Toll-Free Hot Line at least twice weekly (888-321-6771).
  
  
  
  
  
• News update (August 13, 2007)
• News update (June 19, 2007)
  
  
• archived news page (through April, 2005)

Trainings

• no soybean rust specific trainings are presently being offered in Kentucky