Soybean Rust Spreading Into Mississippi - Reuters

[hatrack]

WASHINGTON - Tests confirmed soybean rust disease has spread throughout Louisiana and into Mississippi, the US Agriculture Department said on Tuesday, adding to fears the fungus could rapidly infect more Southern states.


The first case of soybean rust on the US mainland was confirmed last week at two Louisiana State University research plots near Baton Rouge. The wind-borne disease does not harm humans, but can cut soybean crop yields by up to 80 percent.

"Three of the four samples taken in Louisiana and the sample collected in Mississippi tested positive," USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service said in a statement.

That means the fungus has now been found in three Louisiana parishes -- St. Mary, St. John the Baptist, and Iberia -- and Adams county in neighboring Mississippi. The USDA did not say how many acres were infected.

"Right now, there is no need to panic," said Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Lester Spell. "We will monitor the region for the presence of this disease, so we will be prepared for next year."

EDIT

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/28174/story.htm

[Bobbie47]

1. Heard talk this

morning on the ag. news report, the Midwest shows no sign in the soybeans here, and hope that with winter coming they can get a handle on this before next season.

[hatrack]

4. Cross your fingers

They're relying on the end of the season and the first hard freeze to slow things down.

Well, I don't know where you are, but here (KCMO) it's November 17th, and we haven't even had frost yet, let alone a hard freeze.

[Buzz Clik]

5. Slow down? Ain't gonna happen.

Plant fungal pathogens have wonderful ways of surviving even the harshest environmental conditions. Now that the rust is here, the best we can hope for is a rapid response from plant breeders. Unfortunately, research by traditional plant breeders has taken a back seat to the gene jockies, so the response likely will be slower than we might hope.

This has all the makings of a rough ride. Veneman may have chosen the correct time to get out of Dodge.

[hatrack]

6. Especially given projections for yield loss - 80% and up possible

I'll hope we get a break, but this could be some nasty shit.

[Buzz Clik]

2. American Soybean Association ...

Their website on this subject hasn't been updated since Jan., 2005, but here's what they have:

http://www.soygrowers.com/rust/default.htm

They obviously recognize the problem and are busy trying to prepare. At the moment, they seem only to have tested fungicides. Rust-resistant varieties don't appear to be available.

[cliss]

3. Maybe this is the time to look at soybean futures.

About 1 year ago, I read that 80% of the soybean crops are now GM crops. That's genetically modified. Which means that the soybean milk that I drink maybe has spider genes, or possibly marigold genes.

I don't know what this has done to the plants. I DO know that whenever you have a weakened plant, it becomes vulnerable to pests and other infestations.

Time for Monsanto to rethink GM.

[Buzz Clik]

8. Geez...

They've been modified to be resistant to the broad-spectrum herbicide, Roundup. Another plant gene was used to give soybeans that resistance.

"Roundup Ready" soybean plants are not the cause of the presence of the rust.

[NickB79]

10. How are they weakened?

From personal experience, Roundup-Ready soybeans have been just as strong, if not stronger, than any conventional soybeans here in central MN to both herbicides and environmental factors such as droughts. Inserting a glysophate-resistance gene from another plant (not spiders) into soybeans has done nothing to weaken them against rusts. The problem is that ALL soybean varieties, GM or conventionally bred, are susceptible to this rust, so they are all equally screwed.

[amandabeech]

7. Expect meat prices to go up if the rust becomes established.

Soybean meal is a major source of feed. Also cooking oil prices may go up.

Biodiesel anyone?

[Township75]

9. Not to mention that my research focuses on using soy bean oil

to replace the petroleum products used to synthesize some plastics.

Soy based plastics were starting to make inroads due to the high price of crude oil...now if the price of soy beans goes up, we lose an advantage.