2012 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416): Develop new soybean varieties with high yield and disease resistance. 1b.Approach (from AD-416): Soybean accessions will be planted during the winter months in Isabela, Puerto Rico for seed increase. Seed will be harvested, threshed, cleaned and shipped back by overnight delivery to the cooperator. 3.Progress Report: The objectives of the agreement correspond with objective 2 of the parent project: Regenerate NPGS accessions with few seeds, low viabilities, and adaptations to equatorial latitudes and long seasons, emphasizing Sorghum, Zea, Vigna, Cucurbita,Leucaena, and Psophocarpus. The first generation (F1) of seeds from cross pollinations was grown for seed increase under lights. The cross pollinations were made with the following breeding objectives in mind: incorporate new genetic diversity from exotic Asian soybean germplasm into adapted commercial varieties, increase yield, improve seed composition and drought tolerance, and adaptation to the soyfoods market. We also produced more than 50 distinct F1 hybrid combinations to test the hypothesis that F2 heterosis for yield can be used to predict which exotic breeding stocks hold the greatest potential to increase in applied breeding programs. In addition to these F1 materials, inbred breeding populations (F2 plants) were advanced an additional generation in unlighted areas using the single seed descent breeding method, as a part of the process of developing true breeding progeny. Some of these true breeding progeny, after selection and testing, will become important new varieties and germplasm for the North American breeding programs and breeding objectives above. Lastly, pure line materials with cultivar potential were grown to increase seeds so that they could be yield tested in multiple environments during the summer season.