Location: Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research
Project Number: 6070-21220-070-030-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2022
End Date: Sep 30, 2023
Objective:
Approximately 60% of the value of soybean is derived from its meal protein. Soybean meal is the largest source of plant protein for poultry and livestock worldwide, yet the meal protein content of U.S. soybean varieties has dipped below 46.5% in 2020, less than the minimum 47.5% needed in the marketplace. This is negatively impacting the value of U.S. soybean and reducing its market demand and lowering the profit margins for soybean farmers and industries. Increasing the meal protein content of U.S. soybean by 1% without reducing the seed yield and seed oil will increase the value of the crop by approximately $3.0 Billion. Current U.S. varieties trace to a very narrow genetic base with low seed protein. So, increasing the genetic diversity of U.S. soybean crop is also important for improvement of its meal protein content.
Objective 1. Develop varieties with >48% meal protein and competitive yields with check varieties
Objective 2. Develop varieties with >25% wild soybean genome by pedigree, >48% meal protein and competitive yields with check varieties
Approach:
This is an on-going project with 16 co-PIs from 11 universities and two ARS Units. The team approach helps the investigators to benefit from each other’s research and exchange of genetic materials and molecular makers. The ARS Scientist will use the following approaches for their objectives:
Objective 1. Competitiveness of seed yield and meal protein of our advanced breeding lines from crosses between high meal protein x high yielding cultivated parents will be evaluated in the USDA Uniform Tests against the commercial checks. Breeding lines with competitive seed yield with the commercial checks and >48% meal protein, based on >20 environments in the Uniform tests, will be released as varieties. The preliminary breeding lines from crosses of high meal protein x high yielding parents will be evaluated in our internal yield trials at 6 locations in North Carolina with commercial checks. The seed yield and meal protein of the breeding lines will be compared with the checks in the respective test and lines with competitive yield with the checks and >48% meal protein, based on 6 environments, will be advanced to the USDA Uniform tests for further evaluations in the USDA regional trials in 2024. Perten DA7250 Near Infrared (NIR) analyzer will be used for measuring protein and oil contents of the lines. The DNA [single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)] markers screening of selected lines will be performed at the USDA-ARS Soybean Genomics Laboratory, Beltsville, MD.
Objective 2. The seed yield and meal protein of our advanced breeding lines, with >25% wild soybean genome by pedigree, from crosses between high yielding cultivated x wild soybean will be evaluated in the USDA Uniform Tests against the commercial checks. Breeding lines with competitive seed yield with the commercial checks and >48% meal protein, based on >20 environments in the Uniform tests, will be released as varieties. The preliminary breeding lines from crosses between high yielding cultivated x wild soybean will be evaluated in our internal yield trials at 6 locations in North Carolina with commercial checks. The seed yield and meal protein of the breeding lines will be compared with the checks in the respective test and lines with competitive yield with the checks and >48% meal protein, based on 6 environments, will be advanced to the USDA Uniform tests for further evaluations in the USDA regional trials in 2024. Perten DA7250 Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) analyzer will be used for measuring protein and oil contents of the lines. The DNA [single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)] markers screening of selected lines will be performed at the USDA-ARS Soybean Genomics Laboratory, Beltsville, MD.
