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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #419894
Research Project: Exploiting Genetic Diversity to Improve Environmental Resilience, Seed Composition, Yield, and Profitability of U.S. Soybean

Location: Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research

Title: Registration of R19-42848 as a drought-tolerant, high-yielding soybean germplasm line

Author
item WU, CHENGJUN - University Of Arkansas
item HARRISON, DERRICK - University Of Arkansas
item FLOREZ-PALACIOS, LILIANA - University Of Arkansas
item ACUNA, ANDREA - University Of Arkansas
item ROGERS, DANIEL - University Of Arkansas
item MARMO, RAFAEL - University Of Arkansas
item CARLIN, JOHN - University Of Arkansas
item Fallen, Benjamin
item MOZZONI, LEANDRO - University Of Arkansas
item VIEIRA, CAIO - University Of Arkansas

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Registrations
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/4/2025
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Researchers at the University of Arkansas have developed a new soybean germplasm, R19-42848, that can better withstand drought conditions while still producing high yields. Soybeans are a key crop, but drought can severely impact their production, threatening both food supplies and farmers' livelihoods. The team addressed this problem by crossing a drought-tolerant variety with a high-yielding one to develop R19-42848. This new soybean was tested across multiple environments, showing it can thrive in both irrigated and non-irrigated (rainfed) conditions. Notably, R19-42848 performed exceptionally well under drought conditions, exhibiting high yields and slow canopy wilting. The development of R19-42848 is a significant step toward ensuring more resilient crops, which could help farmers maintain productivity in the face of changing climate conditions. The new variety also offers valuable genetic material for future breeding programs aimed at improving drought tolerance in soybeans.

Technical Abstract: R19-42848 is a high-yielding soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) germplasm with drought tolerance released by the University of Arkansas System – Division of Agriculture Research & Extension Center in 2024. It is an F4-derived selection from the cross R12-2237 (drought-tolerant) × R12-519 (high-yielding). R19-42848 is a conventional (non-genetically modified) soybean with a relative maturity of 5.2. Plants have determinate growth habit with purple flower color, gray pubescence, and tan pod wall at maturity. Seeds of R19-42848 have buff hilum color, weigh 13.8 g 100-1 seeds, and contain on average 404.5 and 211.5 g kg-1 of protein and oil on a dry basis, respectively. R19-42848 showed high-yielding and broad adaptability across 25 environments in Arkansas and three other states during the four years of yield trials under irrigated conditions (4,568 kg ha-1, 93.1% of the checks’ mean). Additionally, it demonstrated high yield and slow canopy wilting in rainfed conditions across 13 environments over three years (2,618 kg ha-1, 98.1% of the checks’ mean). Under irrigated conditions, R19-42848 yielded higher than drought-tolerant check Ellis (108.8%), while similar in rainfed conditions (98.5%). Therefore, R19-42848 is a valuable genetic resource for public and private soybean breeding programs attempting to incorporate drought-tolerant alleles into their breeding pipeline.