Ames, Iowa
December 21, 2007
Many soybean producers across the
U.S. may be missing out on high yielding soybeans, according to
Palle Pedersen, Iowa State
University Extension soybean agronomist.
He said an emphasis on genetics and reduced funding for
extension education and applied science on a national level has
led to a reduction in applied research. "The mindset for a
producer is often to buy the most expensive seed and then
believe that is enough to maximize yield," said Pedersen. "But
genetics is only one part of the equation. Most soybean
producers are giving up easy bushels."
Pedersen is spearheading an effort to coordinate six land-grant
universities in developing guidelines and education resources
for soybean farmers nationwide. A checkoff-funded grant from the
United Soybean Board will finance the research and outreach
collaboration of Iowa State, the University of Minnesota,
Michigan State University, the University of Arkansas, the
University of Kentucky and Louisiana State University. Iowa
State will be the lead institution in the project which will
start in the fall of 2008 and continue through 2011. The six
states represented account for 33 percent of soybean production
nationwide.
Current soybean varieties have the potential to yield more than
100 bushels per acre, but this potential is almost never
realized in a field environment, Pedersen said. The effort will
collect data to understand the yield correlation between
genetics and agronomic practices. The results will then be part
of an outreach component to help extension specialists educate
and provide materials for producers.
"Unlike Iowa, many state extension agencies do not have a member
of their staff dedicated to a single crop," says Pedersen. "Team
efforts like this one will continue to be more important in the
future."
The effort's underlying goal is to help soybeans stay
competitive as part of the crop rotation. Soybean production is
facing increased competition internationally from South America
and domestically from corn acres needed to feed ethanol
production. In 2006, planted soybean acres in Iowa were down 15
percent. |
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