Current status of soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) - A review

Soybean rust, incited by Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is the most serious soybean disease of economic importance in the Orient. It is known to occur in Asia, and in many countries of Europe, Africa, Australia and America. However, the distribution of rust in N. America and Europe is restricted to small areas. Yield losses ranging from 10 to 80% are reported from different parts of the world. Phakopsora meibomiae is also causes soybean rust in south of north America, Caribbean area and in south America. Epidemiological studies have been made on uredospore production, germination and infection process. Very meagre information is available on the occurrence and germination of telial stage and their role in life cycle of rust and in the epidemiology of the disease is still unknown. P. pachyrhizi has an extremely wide host range. Though, many fungicides have been reported effective against the rust but triazole derivatives themselves or in combination with other fungicides have proved their worth at large. A large number of soybean varieties and accessions have been screened and resistant sources have been identified across the various countries. Of late, DNA marker in combination with PCR have enabled marker-assisted selections to become a future practical method. In the present paper, the available information on distribution, magnitude, epidemiology and management of soybean rust is reviewed.