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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research » Research » Research Project #439449

Research Project: Drought Resiliency for the Farm-Yield Limitations of Commercial Soybean Varieties Under Drought (Year 3 of a 3-year project - UMO)

Location: Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research

Project Number: 6070-21220-069-088-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Oct 1, 2020
End Date: Sep 30, 2021

Objective:
Develop drought-tolerant cultivars adapted to locations in Missouri and other drought-prone U.S. environments that will aid farmers with variety choices and guide new public-private breeding efforts to fix the drought problem.

Approach:
Yield test of NILs contrasting for 2 new slow-wilting QTLs and 1 high root density gene (RLD1) under irrigated and rain fed conditions. The two major SW QTL were mapped on Chro. 6 and 10 from Magellan x PI 567731 and were confirmed to regulate slow wilting traits. The high root density gene was cloned from a Chinese exotic line PI 561271. These NILs will be yield tested in Missouri. Yield test of gene incorporation lines in elite backgrounds. Seeds will be increased for yield testing in 2021 to quantify the contribution of this gene to yield performance yield under non-stress and drought stress environments. Hybridization will commence in 2020 to develop drought-tolerant breeding lines which are high oleic and high protein. (MG III and IV). Marker assisted will be used to track and transfer 3 currently identified genes. MG III and IV high-oleic and high-protein breeding lines will be selected from the two MU breeding programs (Portageville and Columbia).