Columbus, Ohio
June 5, 2007
Growing demand for food-grade and
industrial-use soybean varieties has spurred an expansion of
Ohio State University’s soybean
breeding program -- a welcome boost in a highly competitive
industry.
The program, part of Ohio State’s Ohio Agricultural Research and
Development Center (OARDC), has expanded its personnel and
technology over the past four years, enabling researchers to
increase the number of test plots, genetic crosses and varieties
released.
“Right now is a nice time to be in soybean breeding,” said Steve
St. Martin, an OARDC soybean breeder. “There has been no other
time in my career that our breeding program has gotten so much
attention and support.”
Through grant support from the Ohio Soybean Council and funding
and marketing opportunities through Ohio State’s Ohio
Bioproducts Innovation Center (an organization that links
university resources with industry), OARDC’s soybean breeding
program has been able to keep the state’s soybean industry
thriving with high performance, improved yield,
disease-resistant field or food-grade varieties.
With the expansion, St. Martin said that researchers have been
using marker technology through OARDC’s Molecular and Cellular
Imaging Center (MCIC) to identify genes in a variety that
exhibit specific characteristics.
“Marker technology is an easy way to identify those plants that
carry the gene you want, whether it’s resistant to disease or
low in saturated fat,” said St. Martin. “The technology helps
you get those varieties developed faster. Using technology at
MCIC, we can conduct two cycles of genetic crosses a year,
instead of only one a year.”
Because of marker technology, the number of genetic crosses made
in the breeding program has increased 48 percent in two years.
In addition to conducting breeding techniques like genetic
crosses, the OARDC soybean breeding program also analyzes
varieties tested in the field for performance, most notably
yield increase and disease resistance.
“Growers are constantly looking for varieties that are resistant
to diseases, such as Phytophthora, and those that yield well. No
one wants to grow a variety if it’s low-yielding, no matter how
much the industry wants it,” said St. Martin. “We are still the
leader in the industry for Phytophthora-resistant varieties.”
In response to such production demands, the number of test plots
in Ohio has increased 30 percent over the past four years.
The result of breeding efforts is the release of soybean
varieties for research, consumer consumption, and industry use.
OARDC has released 13 soybean varieties over the past five
years. They include: food production varieties Ohio FG3, Ohio
FG4, Ohio FG5, HS96-3136, and Wyandot; low linolenic acid
variety HS98-3818; conventional varieties Dilworth, HS0-3243,
and Dennison; and HF9667-2-4, HF9667-2-15, HF9665-2-15, and
HF9670-3-10, varieties resistant to glyphosate that are high in
protein.
Ohio is ranked 7th in the nation in soybean production with an
annual value of over $1 billion. New varieties produced by the
OARDC soybean breeding program and introduced to the market add
additional value to the state’s agricultural economy.
For example, Dilworth certified seed has contributed $150,000 to
Ohio growers in its sales during 2004 and 2005, based on a $5
per bushel soybean price and a 1.5 bushel per acre advantage
over the average conventional variety.
Soyfood production varieties Ohio FG4 and Ohio FG5 have been
adopted by several growers and are benefiting those who produce
soybeans for export to the Japanese tofu market. Additionally,
OARDC research has revealed that Ohio FG5 is high in sucrose
content, which has led at least one soyfood manufacturer to
adopt the variety.
The 2005 release of HS0-3243 is being sold by five different
Ohio seed companies. Dennison, released in 2006, is expected to
replace the variety Kottman. Kottman, released in 1999, is a
popular variety that contributed to 1,800 acres of seed
production in 2005 alone and contributes about $300,000 per year
to producers’ revenue.
The OARDC soybean breeding program has been in existence since
1977, and since that time has released 47 varieties. |
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