Update:
In celebration of Soybean month in Iowa, the Iowa Soybean Research Center hosted their biennial SoyFest event on the Iowa State University campus. SoyFest is the center's largest event and is hosted to educate ISU students, faculty and staff about the many uses of soybean and showcases how soy is part of their everyday lives. SoyFest 2023 was a scorcher, but the hot temperature didn’t stop the estimated 1,300 SoyFest-goers from participating in activities and learning about soy. This year’s event included informational tents, carnival games, soy-themed prizes, free soy-related foods, a special drawing, and robotic and other technological demonstrations to entice folks to come learn about soy. We look forward to SoyFest 2025.
On September 8, the ISRC hosted a half-day Think Tank Workshop on soybean research needs at the ISU Alumni Center. Nearly 40 representatives from the agricultural industry, Iowa soybean farmers, ISU researchers, and the Iowa Soybean Association participated. Katie Dentzman, assistant professor of sociology at ISU, facilitated the discussions. A myriad of research topics and gaps were identified, including a changing climate, soil health, specific diseases and pests, markets and government regulations, plants health versus profitability, funding issues, scalability of data, emerging technologies, a need for remote sensing and smaller equipment, and the need for academia and industry to collaborate more. The ISRC shared takeaways from the Think Tank with stakeholders and hopes it will help guide the direction of future soybean production research ideas by ISU researchers.
In conjunction with the Think Tank Workshop, the ISRC hosted their Annual Industry Advisory Council (IAC) Meeting the afternoon of September 8 to consider proposed soybean research ideas and offer guidance on how to best invest $414,000 in new funding. Christie Wiebbecke, the new ISRC IAC chair and Iowa Soybean Association Chief Officer, Research and Conservation, welcomed the group. After Greg Tylka’s overview about the center, the IAC split into small discussion groups to review and provide feedback on the 14 new research ideas. Following the small groups, the whole council came back together for a report-out to identify which projects rose to the top in the small group selection process. After much discussion, the IAC identified three new projects they recommended to the center’s Management Team for funding in FY24.
The ISRC’s Management Team, who makes the final research funding decisions for the center, met to discuss the IAC’s research recommendations and requested further clarification from researchers on two of the proposed projects before making a final decision. Following a second Management Team meeting, it was decided to fund three new projects from ISU researchers, two led by Silvina Arias and one led by Leonor Leandro, as described below.
1. Characterization of Iron Deficiency and Fusarium graminearum Interactive Responses in Soybean: Silvina Arias, adjunct assistant professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, will receive funding to study the characterization of soybean genes that are differentially regulated by the host during F. graminearum infection in an iron deficiency environment to identify new potential resistance mechanisms and candidate genes involved in the defense response. Jamie O’Rourke, research geneticist, agronomy, is a collaborator on this project.
2. Application of Innovative Intercropping Practices to Increase Soybean Production in Iowa: Silvina Arias, adjunct assistant professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, will receive funding to study the application of intercropping practices involving the harvest of one of Iowa’s main cash crops, soybean, plus the harvest of a second crop in the same field, in the same year, reducing negative environmental impacts. Additionally, growing soybean with winter crops, such as small grains and oilseed crops (canola), is a way to take advantage of Iowa’s six-month fallow period. Co-PIs (principal investigators) include Leonor Leandro, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology and Mark Licht, associate professor of agronomy.
3. Soil Amendment with Biofuel Industry Co-products (Biochar and Digestate) for Improving Soybean Disease Management and Enhancing Soil Health: Leonor Leandro, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, will receive funding to determine if soil amended with co-products from the biofuel industry, namely biochar and digestate, can suppress soybean diseases caused by soilborne pathogens. Their research will focus on the pathogens that cause soybean sudden death syndrome and soybean root rot because of their economic importance and their soilborne nature. Co-PIs include Santanu Bakshi, Bioeconomy Institute and Lisa Schulte Moore, Bioeconomy Institute, natural resource ecology and management.
Research Project Updates:
Drs. Sotirios Archontoulis, professor of integrated cropping systems in the agronomy department and Gary Munkvold, professor in the plant pathology, entomology, and microbiology department at ISU, each received funding support from the ISRC for their research projects in 2022. Drs. Archontoulis and Munkvold each provided year-one progress update reports of their projects.
Dr. Leonor Leandro, professor in plant pathology, entomology, and microbiology completed her project, “Time disease onset as an early indicator of soybean resistance to SDS,” in December 2023. A progress report was received in December with a final report anticipated later this spring. You can find all three progress reports and past project reports on the ISRC’s website, www.iowasoybeancenter.iastate.edu/research.
The ISRC Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary in 2024:
The Iowa Soybean Research Center was formed by the Iowa Board of Regents on July 1, 2014. The ISRC staff are planning extra special events throughout 2024 to celebrate the center’s 10-Year Anniversary.
Asheesh “Danny” Singh, ISU Professor of Agronomy with expertise in soybean breeding and phonemics, joined the ISRC as co-director on January 1, 2024. With the addition of Danny, and in honor the ISRC’s 10-year anniversary in July, the co-directors will work together to expand the research and educational activities of the center while maintaining a focus on soybean production research. Read more in the press release on the ISRC's website, www.iowasoybeancenter.iastate.edu.
The Iowa Soybean Association’s Communications Team held a staff retreat on campus at the Advanced Teaching and Research Lab on February 12, 2024. Kara Berg, communications specialist for the center, organized a research tour for the 17 team members that included visits to the research labs of Thomas Baum, Matt O’Neal and Steve Whitham; a tour of the Plant & Insect Diagnostic Clinic; and a hands-on activity in the teaching lab.
More 2024 Events & Activities Celebrating the ISRC's 10-Year Anniversary:
• ISRC will sponsor a seminar in the plant pathology, entomology, and microbiology department on April 2 titled, “Soybean Gall Midge: Understanding Risk and Management Options” by Justin McMechan, assistant professor of entomology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (can be viewed via ZOOM, https://iastate.zoom.us/j/95972743117?pwd=Wkp1UzlrbkdOUnUxSmNhQnc2Wm5hQT09)
• The ISRC is working with the agronomy and agricultural & biosystems engineering departments to sponsor additional soybean-related seminars in 2024
• The center is coordinating training on the new National Soybean Research Database between USB and ISU researchers on March 25
• ISRC will co-sponsor with the Iowa Food & Family Project, the North Central Poultry Association and the Iowa Egg Council an omelet breakfast for ISU students on May 2
• The ISRC will co-host with the AI Institute for Resilient Agriculture (AIIRA) an ISU Field Day for the ISA Board on June 18
• The ISRC will participate in the Soybean Research Forum & Think Tank and is organizing the Coordinated Soybean Centers Group Meeting in Indianapolis, IN on July 22-24
• The ISRC’s Summer Field Tour – August 2024
• Fourth Annual Meals from the Heartland meal packaging event with Cargill – August 1
• ISU Research Day for the ISRC’s Industry Advisory Council on September 5
• ISRC’s Annual Industry Advisory Council Meeting on September 6
• The ISRC is working on a new funding level model for industry partners to roll out in 2025
Be sure to follow the Iowa Soybean Research Center on X (formerly Twitter) @ISU_SoyCenter.
The Iowa Soybean Research Center works to support and promote all university research, teaching, and extension activities related to soybean biology, breeding, economics, precision agriculture, production and pest management. The ultimate, long-term goal of the center is to advance understanding of soybean plant biology and to increase soybean production and make production more profitable and environmentally sustainable for Iowa farmers in the future. The center accomplishes its goals by leveraging soybean checkoff dollars with funds from its 20 industry partners to support research. The center's funding priorities are set by the center's Management Team with the guidance and recommendations from the center's Industry Advisory Council, which consists of three farmers and a representative from each industry partner. This council also provides feedback on current soybean research needs. In FY2023, Iowa State University faculty who received funding for projects are the “continuous soybean” project from Sotirios Archontoulis and the “seed treatment effects on the seed & soil microbiome,” project by Gary Munkvold.