The long-term goal of Virginia Tech’s public soybean breeding program is to release superior cultivars to fulfill growers’ needs and reduce seed costs. This project seeks to develop high-yielding, herbicide-tolerant and conventional soybean cultivars and germplasm adapted to the climatic and edaphic conditions and cultural practices in Virginia, to develop varieties and germplasm with strong disease package, particularly soybean cyst nematode, root knot nematode and purple seed stain, to emphasize development of early maturity groups 4 and 5 and to start MG 3 soybean varieties and germplasm.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, extension agents, soybean breeders, seed companies