|
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - An announcement that a fungus called Asian soybean rust had been found in southern Iowa earlier this year made farmers worry that the destructive growth could damage their fields. But they were relievd Tuesday when officials said the single leaf infested with the destructive fungus must have been brought into the state from outside, perhaps to make people think it had grown in Iowa. The investigation has been turned over to the federal government.
"It's bizarre," said Greg Tylka, a plant pathologist with Iowa State University's extension service. "I can't understand the motivation or a mechanism of how it would be done."
Asian soybean rust is a fungus that can sweep through fields, infecting plants and drastically cutting yields.
|