Soyabean rust has been found in two counties in Oklahoma, the farthest north the yield-cutting disease has been found in the United States this year, a plant pathologist said on Thursday.
Soya rust, which can slash yields by up to 80 percent on untreated fields, was found in the southern part of Oklahoma. A sentinel plot and adjacent soyabean field were detected with rust in Bryan County, and in neighbouring Choctaw County a commercial field near Frogville had soyarust.
John Damicone, a plant pathologist at Oklahoma State University, said conditions have been very favourable for the fungus in the state with high humidities during the day and dew at night.
Soyabean rust thrives in cloudy, warm and humid weather. "Unless it turns out to be 95 or 100 (degrees Fahrenheit) for the rest of the summer I'm expecting rust to develop farther north in Oklahoma and cause a problem," said Damicone.
Soyarust has been found in 17 counties during July. This week alone, rust has also been found for the first time in Arkansas. The fungus has been found in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana this year. In 2006, it was identified in 274 counties in 15 states, including Missouri, Indiana and Illinois.
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