Location: Crop Genetics Research
Project Number: 6066-21220-016-030-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2025
End Date: Oct 30, 2026
Objective:
Both parties desire to participate in the Uniform Soybean Tests – Southern States and Northern States (collectively, Uniform Tests). The Uniform Tests is a cooperative testing program that is the main mechanism for U.S. public soybean breeders to obtain multi-state field data to support the release of varieties and germplasm. The varieties released are grown by farmers, and the released germplasm is used by private and public breeders to produce varieties that are grown by farmers. This project is in alignment with the ARS Priority as of December 30, 2025 -" 1 "Increasing Profitability of Farmers and Ranchers". Our goal is to increase soybean value for the entire value chain by selection of soybean with consistent higher levels of protein and excellent yield that will aid in the development of commercial soybean lines with an improved nutritional bundle. To achieve this goal public soybean breeders need multi-location multi-year data to support the release of lines. Private seed company breeders need data to select public lines to be licensed for sale to farmers and/or used in their breeding programs. The Uniform Soybean Tests provide objective data on yield, agronomics, seed composition (protein, oil, fatty acids and oligosaccharides [sugars]), pest reaction and disease reaction to facilitate these decisions. This will provide high yield, higher protein soybean varieties for U.S. soybean farmers that directly increases their profitability. The specific objective of this project is to perform soybean cyst nematode screens on selected lines and cultivars submitted to the Uniform Soybean Tests - Northern Region.
Approach:
Cooperator will screen selected lines and cultivars from the Uniform Soybean Test, Northern Region (<100 entries) for reaction to soybean cyst nematode. Cooperator will establish greenhouse tests to evaluate the reaction of these lines to one population of soybean cyst nematode. Females will be counted and a female index will be calculated. The data and rating for resistance will be returned to the Agency for inclusion in the annual report for the Uniform Test program. The data and results will be shared with program participants to inform decisions about which line(s) to include in further testing and development efforts in their respective breeding programs. Milestone: Report results by the next December following receipt of seed.