How fast is soybean rust moving?
Compared to 2007, soybean rust is moving much slower in the southern states, namely Louisiana and Texas. On April 19th, a trace amount of soybean rust was found on the new growth of kudzu at a kudzu sentinel site in Polk County, Texas in the eastern part of that state. Since that find, the weather turned dry throughout the southern half of Texas, and soybean rust has not moved out of that kudzu patch. In fact, drier than normal conditions continue to plague much of the southeastern U.S. (see Figure), which has slowed the movement of soybean rust, much like 2005 and 2006. So will the late planted soybean crop in Iowa be at risk? Right now, the chances of soybean rust moving into the Midwest anytime soon appear to be low. Movement of soybean rust in late September and October has been the trend the past few years, and this year appears to be no different. According to Palle Pedersen, late planted soybeans will reach growth stage R6 (full seed) September 10 – 20. We will continue to monit
