The highly contagious soyabean rust disease was found in a sixth Alabama county and could soon spread to other fields in the state, the US Agriculture Department said on Tuesday. The fungus was found in a soyabean sentinel plot in Autauga County.
The sample had five infected leaves collected from a soyabean plot at the R6 growth stage. R6 is defined when the pod has green beans inside.
Ed Sikora, a plant pathologist at Auburn University, said in a report posted on the USDA's soyabean rust-monitoring Web site that the fungus would likely spread to other counties in the state.
"Growers in south and central Alabama with fields in early to mid reproductive stages are at high risk for soyabean rust," said Sikora. "Weather conditions are very conducive to infection from the disease, especially where frequent/daily rain showers are occurring."
The yield-cutting disease thrives in warm, humid weather with cloudy skies.
Fungicide is recommended for most soyabean growers in the state whose crops are in the reproductive stages. Farmers with crops that have matured beyond the R5 growth stage do not need to spray.
The windborne disease so far has remained confined to Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina.
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