What is the best way to scout for soybean rust?
1. Walk through an entire field in a standard scouting pattern. For example, walk across the field in a W-shaped pattern. 2. Periodically stop and examine soybean plants. Look low and deep into the canopy of the plants. 3. Closely examine the plants for mottled yellow leaves with tell-tale pustules (pimple-like structures) on the underside. 4. Areas in the field with distinct yellowing or browning of the leaves, or areas with dense canopy development, should be targeted in addition to those areas covered by the standard scouting pattern. One of the challenges of identifying Asian soybean rust is that the early stage of the disease can look like other leaf diseases of soybean. Refer to this photo guide that provides images and descriptions of common soybean leaf diseases in Iowa.
