A new, high-yielding, disease-resistant soybean named Probst is available to U.S. producers of certified seed. It was named after Albert H. Probst, an ARS soybean breeder at West Lafayette, IN, from 1936 to 1970. The new cultivar, a cross between another ARS variety Spencer and the cultivar Resnik, was developed in the ARS/Purdue University cooperative soybean breeding and genetics project. In 46 field tests in 1992 and 1993, Probst had the highest two-year average yield of five publicly developed varieties and five advanced breeding lines. Probst has a gene called Rps1-k, which provides resistance to many races of Phytophthora sojae, a root rot fungus that regularly causes soybean yield losses.
Crop Production and Pathology Research, West Lafayette, IN
Jim Wilcox, (317) 494-8074

A new potato hybrid could save growers millions of dollars in their fight against potato virus Y. The hybrid gets its virus resistance from the wild South American species, Solanum etuberosum. Researchers fused leaf cells of the wild species with those of domestic varieties to form the virus-resistant hybrid. Even after subsequent sexual crosses, offspring of the hybrid inherited and maintained the resistance. Currently, the best control for potato virus Y is virus-free certified seed, but screening certified seed potatoes is costly and time-consuming.
Plant Disease Resistance Research, Madison, WI
John P. Helgeson, (608) 264-5276

More than 600 species of native plants can be germinated to restore western rangelands. ARS scientists have developed a "recipe" of moisture, temperature, light and other ingredients for those hard-to-sprout seeds. The plants are needed on rangelands that have been disturbed by fire, mining or large construction projects like pipelines, and can provide high-value alternative crops for farmers. Crop seeds are bred for uniformity, but trying to grow native range plants by trial and error can be costly and unsuccessful. That's partly because native plant seed is highly variable from seed to seed, as well as from species to species. Further, each native species requires a unique combination of dormancy, temperature and light regimes to germinate. Aside from their recipe, ARS scientists developed high-tech, refrigerated chambers that create ideal conditions for germinating the seeds. They've taken the same approach with weed seeds, because a weed's germination profile yields clues on how best to control it.
Landscape Ecology of Rangelands Laboratory, Reno, NV
James A. Young, (702) 784-6057

A new ARS-developed cultivar of kenaf, a fiber crop, stands up to root-knot nematodes better than available varieties. And despite the presence of those nematodes, the new kenaf yields 200 percent more fiber than a popular variety. Chemical controls for the wormlike nematodes--a serious hurdle to growing kenaf in the United States--cost too much and can harm the environment. But in three years of tests in nematode-infested fields, the new variety, SF459, averaged 8,450 pounds of fiber per acre. A standard variety, Everglades 71, yielded only 2,800 pounds. SF459 suffers less direct damage from nematode feeding. Plus, it may ward off disease-causing fungi that often invade kenaf roots wounded by nematodes. One major U.S. kenaf company has already made SF459 its preferred selection. The United States now grows only 4,000 acres of kenaf, compared to 600,000 in China. But U.S. kenaf can supply many consumer and industrial products at less cost and with less hazard to the environment. Products include packing material, matting, textiles, oil- and chemical-spill cleanup products, livestock bedding and an assortment of recyclable--or recycled--paper products from newsprint to Bible paper.
Conservation and Production Systems Research, Weslaco, TX
Charles G. Cook, (210) 969-4812

Home gardeners can soon welcome three new strawberries that ARS geneticists released to nurseries in 1994. Mohawk, Northeaster and Delmarvel are early-maturing, disease resistant varieties. In June, the plants produce firm, good-tasting fruit suited for shipping and local markets. Delmarvel and Northeaster were released cooperatively with scientists from Ohio State University and Rutgers University. Mohawk, released jointly with Canadian scientists, should grow well in southeastern Canada and northeastern United States. Northeaster, suggested for both the fresh and frozen markets, should also grow well in the northeastern United States. Delmarvel seems best adapted to the Middle Atlantic. All three varieties are expected to be available commercially for the 1996 growing season.
Fruit Lab, Beltsville, MD
Gene J. Galletta, (301) 344-5652

New varieties of range grasses--crested wheatgrass and Russian wildrye--have a 25 percent greater survival rate on western rangeland. Generally, range grass seedlings are notoriously poor at surviving harsh climates. Some seedlings survive only a few days. Key to developing the new, hardier grasses was ARS scientists' discovery that just two seed traits--of more than a dozen--are crucial. These traits are the seed's weight and its ability to send forth a shoot from deep in soil. New crested wheatgrass and Russian wildrye varieties have been bred for these traits. Such cool-season grasses have the potential to be reliable sources of forage for cattle herds, improve wildlife habitat and slow erosion on about one half of the world's grazing lands.
Forage and Range Research Laboratory, Logan, UT
Douglas A. Johnson/Kay H. Asay, (801) 750-3067

A new, cold-hardy viburnum named "Cree" has been distributed to cooperating wholesale nurseries. Plants are expected to be on the market in 1996 or 1997. ARS scientist Donald Egolf, who died in 1991, first evaluated and bred the new cultivar (Viburnum rhytidophyllum). "Cree," selected for its more compact growth habit and superior dark evergreen foliage, is cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8--the central to southern United States. In 13 years, this densely branched shrub has grown 8.5 feet high and eight feet wide. The plant remains evergreen in USDA zone 6 and may prove evergreen in zone 5. Its white flowers in two- to three-inch clusters open in mid-May in zone 7.
U.S. National Arboretum, Washington, DC
Ruth Dix, (202) 245-4762

Last Updated: December 13, 1996
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