Location: Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research
Project Number: 6070-21220-070-084-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2025
End Date: Mar 31, 2027
Objective:
Identify soybean germplasm lines capable of maintaining high yields under reduced fertilizer input. This objective focuses on identifying soybean lines that can sustain high yields while requiring fewer fertilizer inputs. Special emphasis will be placed on lines with enhanced nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), improved nodule formation, and higher nitrogen fixation capacity, which can reduce input costs without compromising yield. This will be the foundational step in developing low-input, high-yielding soybean cultivars for future
release.
Approach:
In 2026, we will conduct replicated field trials using lines selected based on
performance in 2025 greenhouse experiments, advanced breeding lines, and commercial checks. The trials will be designed to compare yield, seed oil content, protein content, and agronomic characteristics such as plant height, disease resistance, and maturity.
Soil samples will be taken before planting and at maturity to estimate nitrogen use by each genotype. The primary objective is to evaluate how super-nodulating and intermediate supernodulating lines perform under varying levels of fertilization, including non-fertilized, rain-fed, and irrigated conditions. These trials will include comparisons with current high-yielding commercial lines and a non-nodulating check to assess the relative
contributions of nodulation capacity and fertilizer inputs on yield.