Floyd Hancock, left, soybean breeding manager at the Monsanto breeding station near Stuttgart, and UA Vice President for Agriculture Milo Shult discuss soybean breeding lines that are being given by Monsanto to the division's soybean breeding program. The gift includes some 18,000 natto breeding lines and populations.

Monsanto Company is donating a major collection of soybean plant seed to the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture for use in the university's breeding program to develop improved varieties.

Floyd Hancock, Monsanto soybean breeding manager, said some 18,000 breeding lines and populations from Monsanto's soybean breeding station near Stuttgart, Ark., are being donated for use in the university's breeding program directed by Dr. Pengyin Chen. The collection was a part of Monsanto's natto soybean business, which the company closed earlier this year, he said.

The breeding lines were developed using conventional crossbreeding methods used by plant breeders for many decades and include no transgenic traits, Hancock said. They were bred to supply the Japanese fermented soybean food market, called "natto" in Japan.

"We've invested heavily in research and development over the past decade to bring new technologies to Arkansas' soybean and cotton farmers, and this donation will enable that research to continue," Hancock said. "If you started breeding from scratch, it would take 10 years of investment and work to reach the quality of seed that's represented in this collection. We wanted to find a home for it where the breeding work could be continued, and we believe the University of Arkansas is the right place for it."

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and State Rep. Benny Petrus of Stuttgart commended Monsanto and the University of Arkansas for their partnership.

"The decision by Monsanto Company to donate a major collection of soybean plant seed to the University of Arkansas' soybean breeding program is an excellent example of public/private cooperation to apply the benefits of scientific agriculture," said Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. "Arkansas has a long heritage related to growing natto soybeans for export to Japan.
Much of the pioneering work in developing the market was by the former Jacob Hartz Seed Company of Stuttgart which was purchased some years ago by Monsanto."

"I am very proud that Monsanto chose the University of Arkansas to be the recipient of the Monsanto major seed collection," Rep. Petrus said. "This donation provides great future development opportunities for farmers primarily growing soybeans and excellent support for cotton and rice growers who produce soybeans in a rotation."

University of Arkansas Vice President for Agriculture Milo Shult said, "This germplasm collection will be a major asset for our soybean breeding program. We are very grateful and pleased that Monsanto selected the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture as the steward of this valuable resource."

Chen, the UA soybean breeder based at Fayetteville, conducts one of the leading breeding programs for specialty soybeans in the southern United States, Hancock said.

"This germplasm collection includes several elite lines that we will evaluate for potential release as public specialty varieties," Chen said.
He said the collection will give him a bigger gene pool to select from as he makes crosses to combine quality traits such as high sugar or protein content with essential agronomic traits such as high yield potential and disease resistance.

Chen said he and Monsanto breeders routinely share information from their breeding programs. "It is a great working relationship, and we all have the same goal of providing improved varieties for growers and consumers," said Chen.

"We always look for opportunities to collaborate with our university peers," Hancock said. "We're pleased that this donation will enable Arkansas farmers to continue to have access to this germplasm as well as the future advancements UA researchers make."

Chen said several Arkansas growers have contracted to grow specialty soybeans for companies in Japan, which is the primary market. The U.S.
market is currently small, but Chen said he expects it to grow as more companies develop value-added, branded soy products that meet consumer preferences. Examples of growth in specialty soybean markets are an edamame salad now on the menu of a major fast food company, a movement in the food industry toward cooking oil with low trans fat, and school lunch programs offering soy milk as a beverage.

Specialty soybeans are just one initiative in the UA breeding program. "Our primary goal is to develop improved conventional varieties for Arkansas conditions," said Chen. Arkansas public varieties released in recent years, such as 'Ozark' and 'UA4805,' are among the most widely grown conventional varieties.

Monsanto Company is a leading global provider of technology-based solutions and agricultural products that improve farm productivity and food quality.