REGISTRATION OF PA 15 SOYBEAN GERMPLASM

Authors: Devine, Thomas; McMurtrey Iii, James

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/30/2005
Publication Date: 3/1/2006
Citation: Devine, T.E., Mcmurtrey III, J.E. 2006. Registration of pa 15 soybean germplasm. Crop Science. 46:999-1000.

Interpretive Summary: Crop residues (straw) left on the soil surface after harvest slow soil erosion rates, improve soil quality, and provide a cheap and adequate soil conservation practice. The crop residue should persist on the soil surface after harvest in the fall until planting the following spring and establishment of soil cover by the new crop. A line of soybean with superior persistence was discovered in the USDA breeding program in the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory at Beltsville, MD. This line, PA 15, was released by the USDA on November 1, 2004 for use by soybean breeders to improve the persistence of soybean residue on the soil surface. This registration article informs agronomists of this line and describes its characteristics. The Conservation Technology Information Center, sponsored by the USDA National Resources Conservation Service recommends a minimum level of 30% crop residue soil coverage persisting after harvest until planting in the following spring. In five years of field tests at Beltsville, MD, PA 15 had an average of 76% soil cover by crop residue at the time of no till planting of the next years spring crop, compared to 52% for the cultivar Hutcheson. After mulch tillage in the spring, PA 15 had 53% soil cover by crop residue and Hutcheson had 20% soil cover when averaged over four years. New soybean cultivars developed from PA 15 should reduce soil erosion and preserve a critical natural resource. New soybean cultivars could reduce annual soil loss by 210 million tons and reduce costs for water purification and dredging of lakes and rivers by 325 million dollars.

Technical Abstract: PA 15 is a soybean germplasm line developed by the USDA-ARS at Beltsville, MD and released on November 1, 2004. PA 15 is intended for use in breeding programs to increase persistence of crop residue and study of the longevity of crop residues for soil conservation purposes. PA 15 may also be used to study the industrial use of soybean stem fiber. Crop residues left on the soil surface after harvest slow soil erosion rates, improve soil quality, and provide a cheap and adequate soil conservation practice. The Conservation Technology Information Center, sponsored by the USDA National Resources Conservation Service recommends a minimum level of 30% crop residue soil coverage persisting after harvest until planting in the following spring. In five years of field tests at Beltsville, MD, PA 15 had an average of 76% soil cover by crop residue at the time of no till planting of the next years spring crop, compared to 52% for the cultivar Hutcheson. After mulch tillage in the spring, PA 15 had 53% soil cover by crop residue and Hutcheson had 20% soil cover when averaged over four years. PA 15 is a maturity group V line with yellow seeds with dull luster and brown hila, white flowers, gray pubescence and indeterminate growth. At Stoneville, MS PA15 was resistant to stem canker disease. At Jackson, TN, PA 15 had a score of 4.9 for response to soybean cyst nematode race 3, a score of 4.1 for resistance to race 5, and a score of 2.0 for resistance to race 14. PA 15 also had scores of 3.5 and 3.8 for response to Meloidogyne arenaria and M. incognita nematodes, respectively.