The prevalence and severity of diseases in the coastal soybean crop of New South Wales

Abstract

Rainfed soybean (Glycine max) crops in the northern coastal region of New South Wales were surveyed from 1985 to 1987 for the prevalence and severity of diseases. Sixteen diseases were recorded over the 3 seasons, but only rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi), black leaf blight (Arkoola nigra) and bacterial pustule (Xanthomonas campestris pv. glycines) were present each season. Rust was the most significant disease, infecting 50, 20 and 6% of crops in 1985, 1986 and 1987. The severity of rust was related to rainfall and temperature after flowering, with the most severe outbreaks in the higher rainfall area of the lower Richmond Valley. Black leaf blight was also significant and occurred in 39, 10 and 27% of crops in 1985, 1986 and 1987, but in most crops severity was low. The other diseases recorded were downy mildew (Peronospora manschurica), root and stem rot (Phytophthora megasperma f. sp. glycinea), stem canker (Rhizoctonia sp.), pod and stem blight (Phomopsis spp.), anthracnose (Colletotrichum spp.), seedling blight (Rhizoctonia sp.), stem rot (Phytophthora sp.), white mould (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum), flower blight (Botrytis cinerea), leaf spot (Phoma sp.), bacterial blight (Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea), mosaic (soybean mosaic virus) and orange bark (not identified). All of these diseases were generally of low prevalence and severity.