By Jim Dunphy & Lindsey Thiessen
It was announced over the weekend that Asiatic Soybean Rust (ASR) has been confirmed on soybeans in Georgia and Alabama fields that are closer to our NC soybeans than had been previously reported. The closest find to Murphy is a find in Morgan County, Alabama, which is approximately 165 miles from Murphy, and 350 miles from Charlotte. Almost all of the rest of the soybeans in the state are closer to a find in Burke County, Georgia, which is 165 miles from Charlotte, 395 miles from Elizabeth City, 225 miles from Fayetteville, 185 miles from Murphy, 270 miles from Raleigh, 330 miles from Washington, 245 miles from Wilmington, and 235 miles from Winston-Salem.
Including detections of ASR on kudzu, the disease has been confirmed to date in 31 counties in Alabama, 4 counties in Florida, 9 counties in Georgia, 9 parishes in Louisiana, and 20 counties in Mississippi.
We recommend spraying a fungicide to prevent infection of ASR on soybeans if ASR is confirmed on soybeans within 100 miles of your field, and the soybeans are between first bloom and stage R5 (early seed development).