Epidemiology and Chemical Control of Soybean Rust in Southern Africa

Phakopsora pachyrhizi was discovered on soybeans in Uganda in 1996. This was the initial confirmation of the pathogen on soybeans in Africa, although there had been earlier unsubstantiated listings on other legumes. Thereafter, it was wind-dispersed southward to Rwanda, Zimbabwe, and Zambia in February 1998, where it severely damaged commercial plantings. It also devastated small-scale fields in eastern Nigeria at about this time. Rust continued its southward movement to southern Mozambique in early 2000, and into eastern South Africa in March 2001. By early 2003, substantial losses were being reported from western Cameroon. Scientists in Zimbabwe and South Africa have coordinated their research to combat the pathogen and have developed a strategy based on the effective, economical use of fungicides and the development of resistant germ plasm. The chemical and spraying recommendations resulting from field studies are discussed in relation to their practicalities, and a preliminary analysis of the meteorological data recorded will show the fundamental factors that influence the development of an epidemic.