Research Field Day
New soybean variety with high yields and protein content introduced during field day at Pine Tree Branch StationAug. 20, 2007
Contact Information:
Pengyin Chen, Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences
479-575-575-7564 / pchen@uark.edu
Roger Eason, resident director, Pine Tree Branch Experiment Station
870-633-5767 / rleason@uark.edu
By Fred Miller, Science Editor
479-575-5647, fmiller@uark.edu
Weed scientist Dick Oliver discusses weed control in soybeans and grain sorghum. University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture faculty and staff displayed research and extension projects during a field day Aug. 16 at the Pine Tree Branch Experiment Station at Colt.
Nathan Slaton, director of the soil testing program, discusses soil fertility studies for rice and soybeans. University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture faculty and staff displayed research and extension projects during a field day Aug. 16 at the Pine Tree Branch Experiment Station at Colt.More than 100 farmers, agricultural consultants and business representatives attended the field day. They toured test plots for soybeans, rice and grain sorghum, heard presentations about breeding programs, management practices and insect and weed control, and met face-to-face with U of A Division of Agriculture research and extension scientists.
Program technician Tina Hart said Osage is a maturity group 5.6 soybean that produced yields equal to or slightly higher than high-yield check cultivars in performance tests conducted in Arkansas and neighboring states.
Foundation seed will be available in 2008 for seed companies to produce certified seed for sale to farmers in 2009, Hart said.
Soybean breeder Pengyin Chen said Osage was evaluated in 130 field tests in Arkansas and several southern states from 1999 to 2006, where it exceeded commercial varieties, used as check cultivars, in both yield potential and protein content under most environmental conditions.
Osage averaged 52.8 bushels per acre, more than 2.5 bushels per acre more than comparable commercial varieties, and yielded as high as 64.8 bushels per acre in Arkansas variety tests. Its seed contained 43 percent to 44 percent protein in USDA and regional tests.
Chen said Osage is resistant to several major soybean diseases, including southern stem canker, sudden death syndrome, soybean mosaic virus and frogeye leaf spot.
The Division of Agriculture also released two soybean breeding lines that offer improved yields under drought conditions, Hart told field day visitors. R01-416F and R01-581F have been released as germplasm for use in public and private breeding programs. They are high-yield, maturity group V breeding lines developed by Chen and soybean physiologist Larry Purcell in cooperation with a national research team assembled and funded by the United Soybean Board.
Purcell said the lines achieve drought tolerance by prolonging nitrogen fixation, a physiological function of soybeans and other legumes that is normally very sensitive to drought. Nitrogen is very important for yields because protein development is dependent on it and soybean seed is about 40 percent protein.
Chen is using these lines in the Division of Agriculture breeding program, crossing them with breeding lines that have slow-wilting traits to improve drought tolerance even more. He is also working to improve the already high yields.
Extension plant pathologist Scott Munford gave an update on Asian soybean rust, which was found in Arkansas much earlier this year than in previous years. It was found in a field in southwest Arkansas, but has not been seen elsewhere in the state.
"The weather turned off hot and dry, and that pretty much knocked it down," Munford said. He added that vigilance is necessary because winds or rain from hurricane Dean may potentially bring more soybean rust into the state.
Research specialist Caroline Gray said the soybean breeding program was working with eight breeding lines with promising resistance to Asian soybean rust.
The Pine Tree field day also highlighted rice breeding programs and research in weed and insect pest management, disease control and soil fertility.