What areas of the United States are most at-risk to yield losses from Asian soybean rust?
All soybean growing areas of the United States are at risk. However, based on 30-year averages, the most favorable weather conditions for the disease occur in the Mississippi delta region and the Ohio and Mississippi river basins in the Midwest. In general, southern growing areas are at greater risk than northern areas, because of the longer growing season; the warm, humid climate is favorable for rust development; the presence of other hosts such as kudzu; and proximity to overwintering areas. Risk analyses indicate that P. pachyrhizi could cause yield losses of greater than 10% in any U.S. soybean-growing region, whereas in southeastern coastal states losses up to 50% are possible. Actual losses will dependend on weather conditions during the growing season and where the pathogen enters the country.
