2019
Technical Support for UT Variety Testing Program
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Contributor/Checkoff:
Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
GeneticsGenomics
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Virginia Sykes, University of Tennessee-Institute of Agriculture
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
19-038-R
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board
$46,900
Institution Funded:
University of Tennessee-Institute of Agriculture
$46,900
Brief Project Summary:

The goal of the University of Tennessee Variety Testing Program is to provide unbiased yield and agronomic data evaluated across the full range of physiographic regions represented in the state of Tennessee for crop varieties of different brands. Trials obtain comparative seed yield and agronomic trait data on varieties and experimental lines of soybeans that are or will be marketed in the state from head-to-head replicated trials at multiple locations. At the conclusion of each harvest season, test results are compiled, published and distributed to producers, agents, company personnel and other interested clientele.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, extension agents

Information And Results
Project Deliverables

At the conclusion of each harvest season, test results from the RECs Variety Tests, the County Standard Tests, and the Soybean Disease Variety Tests, are compiled, published, and distributed to producers, agents, company personnel and other interested clientele. Printed copies are distributed to county Extension offices across the state of TN. Electronic copies are uploaded as a pdf and excel tables to UTCrops.com and the UTCrops.com blog. A pdf copy, as well as mobile-friendly, searchable, sortable tables are uploaded to search UTCrops.com.

The soybean and corn Variety Testing Program must support 100% of program costs through external sources. These costs include support for personnel, maintenance and purchase of equipment, and supplies, This proposal requests funding to support partial salary for the program research associate and for costs incurred at the AgResearch and Education Centers in maintaining soybean variety trial plots. The research associate in the UT Variety Testing Program is assigned responsibility for the daily conduct of all of the physical operations at the program (e.g., seed packaging, planting, plot maintenance, harvesting) including supervision of part-time student assistants. The research associate also helps prepare summaries and drafts of reports for timely distribution. Additional funding is requested to offset faculty contributions requested by each REC to support personnel and equipment used in maintaining research plots. The purpose of this proposal is to request funding of 50% of the salary plus fringe benefits to support the research associate in the Variety Testing Program along with continued funding of a portion of the faculty contribution fees required for testing soybeans at REC locations across the state of Tennessee. Continued support from the Tennessee Soybean Promotion Board allows the UT Variety Testing Program to maintain relatively low entry fees for companies, which encourages a larger representation of available varieties being entered and evaluated. This support also allows our program to continue testing and providing producers information on variety performance across the full range of physiographic regions represented in the state of Tennessee.

Final Project Results

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.