U.S. growers have adopted the
use of glyphosate weed-control systems on 90 percent of
soybean acres, but new challenges and returning pests are
making it harder to simply plant, spray and harvest. To be
profitable, growers are addressing these obstacles and
asking themselves, “How do I break through my yield
barrier?”
According to Larry Sax,
technical services manager for
NK® Brand Seeds based in Brandon, S.D., growers are the
ones who hold the key to higher yields, and real answers can
be found in today’s products.
“To improve bottom lines and
crop productivity, soybean growers simply need to take
advantage of current technology,” Sax said. “NK Brand
provides better choices for growers who are looking to open
the door to higher yields. Disease-resistant varieties and
seed treatments can help growers protect their genetic
investment.
Crack the Genetic Code
“The first thing growers need
to do is evaluate their local agronomic stress issues,
particularly disease pressure, and choose varieties based on
those needs,” Sax continued. ”In fact, challenges such as
Phytophthora and
iron deficiency chlorosis, should play a primary role in
seed selection.”
Seedling diseases are often
main culprits for yield loss and include
Phytophthora
root rot, Pythium root rot, and
Fusarium root
rot. Later-season diseases such as brown stem rot (BSR) and
sudden death syndrome (SDS), as well as soybean cyst
nematode (SCN), can reduce yields, also. In 2004, these
common problems cost Minnesota soybean growers 50 million
bushels of yield, according to University of Minnesota
research.
The same year, Iowa growers
lost 126 million bushels due to white mold, SCN, SDS and
brown spot, as reported by Palle Pedersen, soybean extension
agronomist and assistant professor at Iowa State University.
Many of these diseases can be
curbed with seed selection, Sax said. “NK Brand soybean
varieties feature strong disease packages tailored to common
challenges, and several are bred to perform well in
localized environments.”
For example, several NK Brand
soybean varieties include resistance to
Phytophthora
root rot and BSR. Varieties can also be selected for
resistance or tolerance to white mold, stem canker, iron
deficiency chlorosis, SDS and even SCN.
For added security, seed
treatments, such as Cruiser®Maxx® Pak, greatly reduce early
season diseases and limit early season insect damage and
disease vectoring.
“Addressing these diseases up
front saves valuable time and protects yield potential from
the start,” Sax said. “In 2006, NK Brand added 17 varieties
to the market – all with effective disease packages and
available with seed treatment. These unique genetics and
effective technologies are part of a continuous pipeline for
soybean development.”
NK Brand has a broad
product development program, which has more than doubled in
size due in part to recent acquisitions by
Syngenta Seeds. In
addition to more than 800,000 annual soybean research plots,
NK Brand has access to extensive winter nursery
capabilities, allowing researchers to test varieties all
year round. Those varieties come from 11 soybean breeding
sites, including one added in Brookings, S.D., in 2005.
Research Opens More Doors to
Profitability
“Technology should improve
production efficiencies, reduce risks associated with crop
production, improve yield, improve crop value or create new
opportunities,” Sax said. “The first generation of biotech
is ending. Future products will increasingly require
manipulation of complex traits where genomics and plant
breeding will play a key role.”
As research moves beyond
products fueled by major dominant genes, researchers need to
be more creative to unlock future solutions. Such
innovation is the focus of scientists at Syngenta Seeds
breeding sites, as well as Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc.,
(SBI) in Research Triangle Park, N.C. SBI researchers use a
combination of science and cutting-edge technology to
develop innovative solutions that help growers meet
tomorrow’s challenges.
“For example, Syngenta employs
the Selectable Genetic Marker System using non-toxic
elements, such as growth substances and carbon supply which
are natural to the plant,” Sax said. “This method is
innovative, safe and environmentally friendly for plant
transformation. It serves as an efficient alternative to
using antibiotic resistance and herbicide tolerance markers
in genetically engineered crops.”
The products of this
marker-assisted approach are indistinguishable from their
non-transgenic counterparts with respect to compositional
analysis of grain and agronomic characterization, including
yield.
“Early work on SCN resistance
thought that resistance was genetically complex,” Sax
explained. “However, through marker technology, we now know
that just a few genes are essential to effectively identify
resistant lines. And, with more than 90 percent accuracy,
the marker technology greatly reduces the time needed to
evaluate and incorporate resistance to SCN.”
Using this new tool,
scientists also are exploring pests and diseases such as
aphids, Fusarium
and Rhizoctonia,
and they are working to improve variety resilience to
Phytophthora,
white mold, SCN, BSR and SDS. In addition, these
varieties eventually will be stacked with
genetics for iron deficiency chlorosis, drought and stress
tolerance.
Finding the Right
Combination for the Marketplace
With all this new technology,
growers still need to have their end-use in mind.
“When choosing seed, growers
need to ask themselves, ‘Where am I going to market this
crop?’” Sax said. “If delivering locally to a processor,
they should take into account protein or oil
characteristics. Processors often have preferred varieties
even if they do not offer a premium.”
NK Brand Extra Edge™
characterization identifies soybeans that meet protein and
oil guidelines set by the United Soybean Board. Currently,
32 high-protein and 35 high-oil NK Brand varieties are
available.
According to Sax, researchers
will continue to develop better choices and improve crop
value for the emerging markets by using the Selectable
Genetic Marker System. They are working to pinpoint which
varieties are best for specialized crop processing,
including animal feed, food grade exports and vegetable oil.
For example,
quality traits such as low linolenic and
mid-oleic oils are currently being evaluated to broaden the
Syngenta Seeds product line-up for soybean producers.
