A Review on Rust of Soybean and its Management

Soybean, a vehicle of socio-economic transformation for millions of small and marginal farmers of central India is continued to occupy the premier position in the oilseed scenario of the country since 2006. In the quest of higher and stable yield as well as quality produce the crop has received attention of a large number of researchers from diverse disciplines. Among the various biotic and abiotic factors leading to low productivity in soybean, diseases are the major factors. Rust of soybean has been one of the major disease taking a heavy loss about 10 to 80%. It is caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi. Currently used methods for managing diseases include chemical, physical, and cultural approaches. Furthermore, only a small percentage of farmers employ integrated disease management techniques and biological control agents. But issues like fungicide resistance and climate change necessitate cutting-edge preventative strategies. It appears that current disease management techniques are unable to fully control this illness. Thus, with the application of sustainable methodologies, it is crucial to create new, more sophisticated, and better disease management strategies. The epidemiology, symptoms, effects of rust disease on soybean yield, and current research findings on soybean rust management are all thoroughly covered in this paper. Thus, future studies should concentrate on creating soybean cultivars that are resistant to disease, better biological control agents, and sustainable disease management strategies to ensure soybean productivity and food security.