Update from the south: Weather has warmed in the south, and that can slow the development of soybean rust. The heat and drop in precipitation may be reasons for the relatively limited number of new finds during the past few weeks (7 new finds). One new find was Texas in a site that has been positive for soybean rust in past years. All of the new finds have had very low incidence and severity.

Sentinel plots: We have started monitoring 13 fields across Iowa for early detection of soybean rust. Like last year, leaves are being collected from the field then shipped to campus. Then we incubate the leaves and look for pustules with a dissecting microscope.