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Indiana farmers will be watching their fields this summer for evidence of soybean rust, a fungal disease that arrived in the United States last year. Soybean rust produces lesions on a soybean plant's leaves. The leaves, which play an important role in the plant's seed-making process, die and fall off. (Photo by Alvaro Almeida) |
Bracing for another attack
While Indiana wages a battle against emerald ash borer in the north, another devastating invasive species is fast approaching from the south.
Phakopsora pachyrhizi —commonly known as soybean rust—was first confirmed in research plots in Louisiana last November and in nine other states by the end of 2004. Originally from Asia, it was found in South America in 2001 and crossed the equator early in 2004. If left untreated, this windborne disease can decimate soybean crops.
Agricultural experts are working to predict how fast and how far this invasive species will travel, now that it's in the United States. Farmers in Indiana —the third-largest soybean-producing state in the nation—have joined the watch. If the disease reaches the soybean-rich Midwest, it could spell big trouble for both farmers and consumers.
Midwest farmers may consider reducing soybean acres because of the increased yield risk and because treatment increases the cost of production, according to Purdue Extension agricultural economists. While soybean farmers are expected to bear as much as 70 percent of the costs of the new disease, it would also affect consumers through higher prices for meat and soy-based products.
During January, February and March, Purdue Extension specialists and educators held meetings around the state to update soybean growers on the most recent information regarding soybean rust, ranging from field scouting to pest identification to control measures.
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Larry Axlen, an urban forest health specialist with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, examines a tree in northern Indiana for emerald ash borer larvae. Purdue Agriculture is working with state and federal agencies to stop the advance of the beetle, which destroyed 6 million trees in Ohio and Michigan before reaching Indiana last year. (Photo by Whitney Copeland) |
Looking for evidence
Indiana's first line of defense against invasive species is a pest and plant pathogen "detective" who scours the state for unwanted visitors. Christopher Pierce, state survey coordinator for the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS), says that 12 invasive species entered Indiana last year and several others expanded to new parts of the state. CAPS is a combined effort by federal and state agriculture organizations. Pierce, who is part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's network of pest police, monitors approximately 60 “hot zones,” which have been identified as potential entrance points for invasive species.
Purdue is the national warehouse for information on invasive pests, housing the National Agricultural Pest Information System archives. Biological samples from across the country are collected, analyzed and then sent here through the National Plant Diagnostic Network, which reports crop biothreats.
United front
Once an invasive species is identified, Ellis and other Purdue Extension specialists enter the fray, using a combination of teamwork, education and research.
Purdue Agriculture is part of a multi-state, multi-agency effort, teaming up with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Michigan State University, The Ohio State University, and other state and federal agencies to fight emerald ash borer. The team collaborates on publications, presentations and education campaigns targeted to campers, hunters and homeowners. “It makes sense to team up with these organizations,” Ellis says. “We're able to share resources and materials, rather than reinventing the wheel every time we need something.”
Because of this information network, Steve Engleking, Purdue Extension educator in LaGrange County, was alert for signs of an emerald ash borer invasion.
An Amish farmer contacted Engleking about dying ash trees on his farm shortly before the educator went to a meeting about the insect, which Ellis was hosting. Engleking says he didn't find D-shaped exit holes—the signature of emerald ash borer emergence—or larvae, but he did collect a sample of the bark.
“I took the piece of bark with me to the meeting and showed it to Jodie,” Engleking says. “She suggested that I do some more investigating.” A second look turned up evidence that the ash trees were infested.
Because of this vigilance, Indiana has a chance to stop the emerald ash borer before it decimates the entire ash tree population in Indiana and, possibly, North America.
“All invasive species invasions start as local events,” says Steve Yaninek, head of Purdue's entomology department. “We need to prevent them from happening through education and detection.”
Sidebar Features:
Unwanted guests
Indiana's least wanted
Related link:
Purdue Extension Entomology
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