Preparing for Soybean Rust: An Example of Interdisciplinary Programming.

In November of 2004, soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) was first identified in the continental United States. Soybean rust is a potentially devastating disease that may lead to 50% or greater yield loss in soybean. In 2005, the USDA estimated that the economic loss of this disease would range from $640 million to $1,341 million depending on its severity and extent. To meet the educational needs of Indiana soybean growers, Purdue University joined with the Indiana Soybean Alliance to develop the Soybean “Rust Buster” Team. The Rust Busters consisted of faculty and staff in the disciplines of agronomy, plant pathology, and agricultural economics. The Rust Busters delivered five one-day informational meetings that covered all aspects of soybean production related to rust. In addition, Purdue Plant and Pest Diagnostic Laboratory, (P&PDL) personnel incorporated National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) First Detector Training into these sessions. These meetings attracted ~1,000 growers and industry clientele and according to survey results, impacted management on 3.5 million acres of soybean across Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio. Following the success of this initial offering, we continued this program through our traditional educational efforts of 47 county meetings (>2000 clientele).  We also teamed with the Purdue Crop Diagnostic Training and Research Center (DTC) to provide five, hands-on training events that serviced an additional 300 clientele. During this series of meetings, several common questions arose that required immediate attention. To meet this need, we authored Extension publication ID-324, Preparing for Asian Soybean Rust. We solicited the Indiana Soybean Alliance to secure funding to print and distribute 10,000 copies of this publication to Indiana growers at no cost.  In recognition of our statewide efforts, the Purdue “Rust Buster” Team was awarded the Purdue University Cooperative Extension Specialist Association team award in 2005.