The American Phytopathological Society (APS) has just published the publication Soybean Rust: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic in Brazil - which presents the history of Asian soybean rust. soy in Brazil, written by retired Embrapa researcher, José Tadashi Yorinori, before his death in 2016.
The book was edited by professor Glen L. Hartman (University of Illinois, USA) and researchers Maurício C. Meyer, Ademir A. Henning and Cláudia V. Godoy (former colleagues of Yorinori at Embrapa Soja), who updated and expanded the documents on Yorinori's role in developing strategies for managing and transferring technologies for the disease in Brazil.
Tadashi provides details about the identification of soybean rust in Brazil in 2001, and the actions taken to search for sources of resistance around the world to understand the aggressiveness of the disease and reduce its damage. Furthermore, the publication presents the history and economic impact of the disease in Brazil and the management techniques that were introduced as a result of collaborative work. These techniques minimized the spread of soybean rust in Brazil and provided a basis for effective management of the disease when it spread to the United States just three years later. It is important to emphasize that, in these 20 years of the disease in Brazil, the contribution of science, over the years, served as a guide for decision-making by public authorities and rural producers.
In addition to the historical aspect of Asian soybean rust, the book can also be used to support the learning of young professionals. The details of this adventure highlight the importance of plant pathology in disease management around the world.
Agronomist Marcos Yorinori, one of Tadashi's sons, says that the family was proud to see his father's years of research and dedication to his work turned into a book. “We didn’t have the scale of the impact that his work had on the production sector. All the support given to publish this book is very gratifying, because he dedicated a large part of his life to his work”, he recalls. “Furthermore, publishing this book was a dream of his and seeing it come true is a well-deserved recognition,” he says.
Yorinori's daughter, Mary Yorinori, recognizes that publishing the book was only possible through the collaboration of several colleagues and friends who worked hard to get it published. “This launch means a lot to us. We always saw our father so focused and so concerned about his work, and he taught us that we should always do our best in what we do, that we should dedicate ourselves to studies, and now we see that he did his best and always continued studying, and with this, he left a great contribution to agriculture”, says Mary.
Researcher Maurício Meyer, from Embrapa Soja, one of the publication's editors, explains that the editors updated the manuscripts with some data related to the incidence of the disease and the costs of rust. Meyer highlights that one of Tadashi's main contributions was to establish guidelines for managing the disease in Brazil, in addition to being the creator and encourager of the creation of a sanitary void in soybean-producing states. “Tadashi gave numerous lectures and meetings to encourage the creation of a sanitary void in Brazil,” he says. Meyer also says that the researcher worked on the search for efficient chemical control, through the appropriate positioning of fungicides and stimulated the development of cultivars resistant to the disease.
Researcher Claudia Godoy, from Embrapa Soja, also editor of the publication, says that what most attracted Tadashi's attention was his passion for his profession. The researcher remembers that he loved traveling and visiting a soybean field with problems and always spoke as if it were the first time. “He always spoke with excitement and had communication skills, capturing everyone’s attention. Known in Brazil and abroad, he was a charismatic person and always willing to help and teach. Tadashi was one of the main soybean phytopathologists in the country and left a great legacy for the health of the crop in Brazil,” she says.
Also an editor, researcher Ademir Henning met Tadashi in the early 1980s, when they were both researchers at Embrapa Soja. In 1981, Embrapa began recommending the treatment of soybean seeds with fungicides to prevent the spread of diseases via the seeds. “It was something new and, therefore, there was a lot of resistance in the production sector, but I had a lot of support from Tadashi, who knew the importance of technology and was well-known and well-respected. Our relationship has always been one of great partnership,” he says. “Tadashi was very determined and his lectures were always very incisive and backed by very deep agronomic knowledge”, recalls Henning.
Researcher Romeu Kiihl, who met Tadashi in 1974 and worked with him for several years at Embrapa Soja, considers Tadashi a complete phytopathologist. He highlights both his broad agronomic training, his in-depth knowledge of soybean diseases, his quick thinking and his ease in transferring the knowledge acquired. “He was a distinguished researcher. He was the one who evaluated the first sources of resistance to soybean rust that were used in Embrapa's genetic improvement programs. Unfortunately, in the second year, new races of the disease appeared and resistance broke down,” he says. “He also made a major contribution to the development of methodology for evaluating sources of resistance to diseases such as frogeye spot and stem canker. The protocols have become routine in Embrapa’s improvement programs,” he recalls.
Consultant Nery Ribas, who was secretary of agriculture for Primavera do Leste, in 2003-2004 and, later, consultant for Aprosoja-MT, remembers the support that the state of Mato Grosso had from researcher Tadashi, at the beginning of the disease in the country. “Tadashi played a strategic role in implementing the soybean sanitary vacuum in Brazil, which is one of the main tools for managing the disease to this day”, he recalls. “Tadashi was always sharing his knowledge about rust, ways of identifying the disease, infection and spread of the pathogen, as well as disease management strategies”, he recalls.
José Tadashi Yorinori was an agronomist from the Federal University of Paraná, had a master's degree from Cornell University and a doctorate in Phytopathology from the University of Illinois (USA). With a strong presence in disease management and control, it stood out for its emphasis on developing disease-resistant soybean cultivars.
Tadashi dedicated himself intensely to identifying and controlling the main soybean diseases, since the frog's eye spot epidemic in 1972 and stem canker in 1989. From the 2001/02 harvest onwards, his efforts were directed to Asian soybean rust, the most severe disease of the crop. He was one of the creators of the sanitary void, a period of 60 to 90 days in which it is not possible to sow or keep live soybean plants in the field. The objective of the sanitary void is to reduce the survival of the fungus that causes Asian rust during the off-season and thus delay the occurrence of the disease during the harvest.
The researcher began his work at the Agronomic Institute of Paraná (Iapar) and worked at Embrapa Soja, from 1978 to 2007. Before he passed away, he worked as a consultant for rural producers and entities linked to the productive sector in Brazil and abroad.
The book is being sold on the APS website available here.
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