When the soybean breeding program for NK® Brand Seeds was begun in 1969, man had just landed on the Moon, the bands were tuning up at Woodstock and farmers averaged 27 bushels per acre growing public variety soybeans.   In the 35 years since that time, space flight, music and soybeans have all come a long way. 

The average yield per acre for soybeans in the United States has increased by more than 40 percent in the past 35 years, and the total acreage planted to soybeans has nearly doubled.  While many factors have contributed to this success story, much of it is due to breeding programs that made soybeans more adaptable and consistent across a wider range of acreage and cropping challenges.

"A large part of the yield increase soybean farmers have enjoyed over the years can be attributed to commercial breeding programs that made the plants heartier and more resistant to diseases and pests," says Dr. John Thorne, development director for self-pollinating crops at Syngenta Seeds.  Thorne has headed soybean breeding for NK Brand Seeds since the program was begun in 1969.  The proprietary breeding program for NK Brand soybeans is one of the oldest in the world and has produced more than 300 commercial varieties, building on genetics developed by COKER® Brand seeds dating back to the 1930s.

Today, computer technology and improved breeding techniques have dramatically increased the speed and accuracy of soybean breeding programs.  For instance, NK Brand breeders use marker-assisted breeding (MAB) to more efficiently identify specific traits in varieties.  This, in combination with using facilities in Hawaii, Florida and Puerto Rico, allow higher quality products to reach market faster.   

Thorne explains that commercial plant breeders might screen as many as 30,000 varieties to find a few with high-yielding genetics that are well adapted for different maturity zones.  For NK Brand soybeans, research is conducted at five research stations across North America, plus one in Latin America.  Add thousands of annual on-farm trials, and researchers are able to evaluate varieties over a wide range of climate, soil and pest conditions. Another key to producing successful varieties is the ability to breed in tolerance to phytophthora root rot, soybean cyst nematode, sclerotina white mold, iron chlorosis and other yield-limiting conditions.  For example, the NK Brand soybeans first introduced phytophthora-resistant varieties in the early 1970s, soybean cyst nematode resistance was introduced in the late 1980s and the S19-90 variety, the current standard for sclerotinia white mold resistance, was released in the early 1990s.

"We continue to be forward thinking with research to bring maximum value to producers," Thorne comments.  "The industry faces new challenges daily, which is why we are working on solutions to issues like soybean rust at our Brazilian research station, where the disease is already present.  Soybean rust will spread rapidly if it reaches the United States.  Our research in Brazil allows us to get a jump on a solution before it becomes a problem for U.S. producers."

Thorne says the company's ability to carry out breeding at several different research stations, as well as conduct complete nematode screening in-house at the Bay, Ark., nematology and pathology labs, has improved their ability to solve specific industry problems with NK Brand soybeans. 

NK Brand varieties with resistance to Southern root knot nematode - such as the popular S73-Z5 variety - are also a result of NK Brand research in recent years.   This pest, which typically infests soybeans rotated with cotton, has not been widely addressed by commercial soybean breeders in the past. 

NK Brand soybean research has also allowed timely incorporation of traits such as Roundup Ready® technology into high-yielding and disease-resistant varieties.  Today, the NK Brand portfolio includes a wide range of top-performing Roundup Ready varieties that also combine traits for disease and pest resistance. 

"Soybean breeding programs in the future will continue to focus on delivering high yields and innovative traits despite the presence of new nematode species or diseases," Thorne concludes.  "But we're also working on delivering integrated output traits such as improved protein functionality or altered fatty acid content in high-yielding varieties."

Syngenta is a world-leading agribusiness committed to sustainable agriculture through innovative research and technology. The company is a leader in crop protection and ranks third in the high-value commercial seeds market. Sales in 2002 were approximately US $6.2 billion. Syngenta employs some 20,000 people in over 90 countries. Syngenta is listed on the Swiss stock exchange (SYNN) and in London (SYA), New York (SYT) and Stockholm (SYN).