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Soybean Rust
Getting 'Rust Ready'
BY AMY L. FAHNESTOCK
alfahnestock@meistermedia.com
NOW that Asian soybean rust disease has made its way to U.S. soybean fields, how will the 2005 growing season play out? Where and when will it pop up, how extensive will the damage be, and is the industry truly "rust ready?" One thing is certain, experts say: Retailers who've prepared a plan of action will most likely be able to help their grower-customers weather this disease tide the first year.
These same retailers will be the most realistic about the situation: it opens up profit opportunities for your operation, opportunities that were lost or reduced with the advent of glyphosate-resistant soybeans.
"Savvy retailers will be able to extract additional margins for the services, knowledge, and product solutions they bring to certain segments of their customer bases," says Jim Reiss, vice president-agricultural business for Precision Laboratories, Inc. "The key is to resist giving it away to those who don't value it, and target the segments of their customer base who will value it."
"There are a lot of things for retailers to think about with soybean rust," says Rich Gould, director of marketing communications for Spraying Systems Co. "We want them to realize they're still managing a business. It's a new way to make money."
Get To Know Rust
Is your staff prepared to take advantage of this opportunity? The timing of the first confirmation - Nov. 10 in a Louisiana research plot - has provided retailers, growers, and the entire supply chain an ideal chance to prepare. Retailers and growers are attending educational sessions and determining strategic plans, including ag chemical, equipment, time management, and manpower needs. Manufacturers are using the off-season to ramp up production of necessary ag chemical and equipment supplies.
"Becoming knowledgeable about rust, having a plan of action, and being ready to take action are going to help retailers increase their value to customers," says Bob Gordon, fungicides market specialist for Dow AgroSciences.
The off-season also is providing more time for studying the existing rust, which also appeared in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Unable to survive a hard freeze, what's left of the rust has been reported in volunteer soybeans in the southernmost part of Louisiana and in kudzu in coastal areas of Florida.
Plant pathologists, including Anne Dorrance from The Ohio State University, are keeping tabs on the overwintering spores and weather predictions, looking for clues to the rust's travel plans this season.
"This winter has been extremely erratic, but we only need one good freeze where the temperature goes all the way down to 28 degrees," Dorrance says. "March is really the key time to figure out if this thing survived the winter. Until then, we still won't really know when the overwintering rust will increase and begin to move. It's also going to depend on the spring planting season for the Southern growers, whether it's a dry or wet spring. Optimum temperatures for the rust to get moving are between 68 and 77 degrees."
Sentinels And Scouts
Keep your own eyes on university sentinel plots and scouting reports of any rust progress during the growing season. "Ideally it's the guys 200 miles south of you who are scouting and find it," Reiss says. "My fear is that by the time retailers identify it in their trade area via scouting, their growers are already beginning to experience yield loss. A good doctor helps you avoid having a heart attack … a marginal doctor has to know how to use the paddles."
Once symptoms are visible, yields are lost. Retailers need to charge for their valuable scouting service.
"When you add soybean rust to the threat of soybean aphids that has emerged this decade, the opportunity is there for retailers to regain the value that their scouting service brings to growers," Gordon says.
Make sure your scouting team is properly equipped. The tiny lesions, which usually appear on the undersides of the lower leaves first, require a 10x to 20x hand-held lens to clearly be visible for identification.
For convenience and efficiency, the lens should be small enough to be hung around the scout's neck with a lanyard, says Tom Caruso, product manager for Gempler's. The cost will average between $25 to $28 per scout.
Bayer CropScience has created Early Detection Bags to collect, store, and transport suspicious leaf samples. They include a summary of disease symptoms and collection instructions.
Because this is a disease that keeps coming back at you, retailers and growers should plan to scout for the disease all season, says John Smith, Bayer CropScience fungicide business manager.
Rusty Business
Once rust is headed your way, your focus needs to switch to prevention and control. The soybean is most vulnerable during the flowering stages, R-1 to R-6.
Rust resistant or tolerant varieties would be the most effective method of controlling this disease. All existing strains have been tested; none were suitable. "That's the endgame, to find genetic resistance to Asian soybean rust to give growers the most cost-effective management tool," says David Wright, director of production technology for the North Central Soybean Research Program.
"Research is ongoing, but such varieties still are five to 10 years away," says Neal Bredehoeft, American Soybean Association president. "Fungicide treatments currently represent the only option for containing soybean rust by lessening the spread of spores. Fungicide use in other countries has been effective in keeping soybean rust below the economic threshold of yield loss."
Many researchers expect that, depending on timing, Southern soybean growers will require two to three fungicide applications, while those in the Midwest will need to spray once or twice, waiting at least 14 to 20 days between sprays. USDA estimates grower costs of $25 to $35 per spray, which includes materials and application fees. Some chemical makers' estimates are lower.
"The overall cost depends on how many applications you put on," Wright explains. "I recommend that you put the cost of two applications in your growers' business plans."
"All fungicides are not the same," cautions Monte Miles of USDA's Agricultural Research Service. "The application program for your area will have to be based on what products are available for the growers. If you wait to spray until after the disease reaches your area, you will limit your options on products that will work."
Once the disease enters the mid-upper canopy, any fungicide treatment may not provide sufficient protection to provide economic return.
Fungicides 101
Most of the EPA-approved products are already on hand in your warehouse if you service vegetable growers, who use them to combat diseases on their crops. Those growers also will have Asian soybean rust concerns: More than 90 varieties of leguminous crops are natural hosts. However, soybeans are the primary target. "They're the Typhoid Marys of this disease," Dorrance says.
Some of the fungicides have full Section 3 labels for soybean rust, while others are in varying stages of obtaining three-year Section 18 emergency exemptions for the disease.
Some of the fungicides have full Section 3 labels for soybean rust, while others are in varying stages of obtaining three-year Section 18 emergency exemptions for the disease. All belong to one of three chemical families and concerns about fungicide resistance potential has prompted experts to recommend using a different family for each succeeding spray.
All belong to one of three chemical families and concerns about fungicide resistance potential has prompted experts to recommend using a different family for each succeeding spray.
Will there be enough product supply? "The ag chemical companies are telling us ‘yes,'" says Kent Smith, USDA plant pathologist. "They say they will even pull product from other countries and can get them here in 24 hours if needed."
A severe infestation could lead to another problem - price gouging - which could affect retailers as well as growers. "In a panic, the grower is going to grab whatever he can and pay whatever price," Smith says. "More available product will create more price competition."
Click Here for Fungicide Options
Expertise Far-Ranging
Which fungicide to use isn't the only factor to consider. Adjuvants, spray rigs, nozzles, and good operators directly affect the quality of deposition and overall coverage. This is another opportunity for your staff to sell its expertise to your growers.
Adjuvants can reduce evaporation of the fungicide, for example. They also can provide a more consistent droplet size, enhance deposition and coverage in the lower canopy, and ensure the fungicide will stick to the leaves. (CropLife magazine will provide full coverage of new adjuvant products in the March issue.)
They also are cost-effective for the results they produce, say manufacturers. "Adding adjuvants to a spray tank mix ranges anywhere from $1 to $1.50 per acre, depending on which and how much of a fungicide is used," says Bob Herzfeld, adjuvant business manager for Agriliance. "The idea is the fungicide will penetrate down to the bottom and cover the bottom leaves. The right adjuvant drives fungicides through the upper canopy and creates better coverage in the lower canopy on both the top and underside of the leaf surface. Most fungal infestations begin in the lower canopy directly over the soil surface."
The window to put the fungicide down once rust is detected in your area is within a week. That's created an upswing in early sprayer sales, especially to uneasy growers who want more control over when their fields are sprayed. While growers are primarily buying used equipment, sales of new self-propelled high-flotation sprayers and other rigs to retailers also is expected to go up in anticipation of increased custom application orders.
"Growers are voicing concerns whether there are enough custom applicators to take care of their needs," says Ken Lehmann, marketing manager for Case IH Application Equipment. "That's why some of them are looking at buying their own sprayers."
There are key considerations any custom applicator should keep in mind before entering a field, says Arnie Sinclair, general marketing manager for AGCO Application Equipment Division. Fungicide selection should be first priority. Then the operator needs make sure his application unit is calibrated and proper nozzles are selected to ensure good coverage. "Make sure you follow the label directions," he says. "Understand how you need to apply it for most effective use, whether using low or high gallonage, high pressure, etc."
Sinclair notes that many growers are considering wider row spacings, so applicators may find themselves adjusting to different field patterns in a single day and will need to make sure they are capable of matching the various row spacings.
Choosing the right nozzle pressure and droplet size will optimize leaf coverage and leaf penetration. Medium-sized droplets are recommended in most cases, says Spraying Systems' Gould.
Because of the timing of the fungicide application, typically into a full canopy, retailers also need to choose a nozzle that will direct the spray down into the canopy to reach the lower leaves.
"Coverage is the magic element here," Gould says. For that reason, he and other nozzle makers recommend twin flat fan nozzles, where one is directed forward and the other to the back. Nozzles producing a cone pattern are not recommended for soybean rust application. "Fungicides only work where they land, so we want to get full coverage. Row kits are another option," he says.
Choose Cutbacks Carefully
With the added cost of combating Asian soybean rust, retailers need to recognize that many growers will want to cut back on inputs elsewhere in their program.
Experts are quick to point out that cutting back on plant nutrition inputs can leave the plants stressed and more susceptible to the disease.
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