Rust Monitor Program detects occurrence of spores in RS

Emater/RS-Ascar launches an alert for the occurrence of Asian rust spores in soybean crops in the Northwest region of RS. According to technical advisor and extensionist Elder Dal Prá, the Rust Monitor Program has around 50 spore collectors distributed throughout the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The occurrence of spores of Phakopsora pachyrhizi was detected last week, a few days after monitoring of the disease began in the State, on October 10. “The presence of spores at this time can lead to the early occurrence of rust in crops in this region, and producers must be careful to avoid further damage to the development of the crop”, assesses Dal Prá.

Monitoring P. pachyrhizi spores, and its association with forecasting systems based on meteorological information, is an important strategy for rust management, as it allows detecting the presence of spores before the disease occurs in the field and, in this way, technicians and producers can plan fungicide applications based on the interaction between the crop, the presence of spores and meteorological information.

With the objective of supporting the management of Asian soybean rust in producing regions, the Monitora Ferrugem RS Program collects spores and evaluates meteorological conditions, weekly, and publishes it on the Program website the spore occurrence map and the climate risk predictability map for the disease.

“Producers must pay attention and follow the information published on the Program’s website to base their decisions on applying fungicides to crops at the right time”, advises Dal Prá.

RS Rust Monitor Program

Monitoring of spores of Phakopsora pachyrhizi, the fungus that causes Asian soybean rust, began in the 2019-2020 harvest, based on a pilot project. In the 2020-21 agricultural harvest, this project is improved with the inclusion of a climate risk forecasting system, starting the Asian Soybean Rust Monitoring Program in RS – Programa Monitora Rust RS.