2021
Improving Water Use Efficacy in Soybean
Home
Contributor/Checkoff:
Nebraska Soybean Board
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
GeneticsGenomics
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Katarzyna Glowacka, University of Nebraska at Lincoln
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
705
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Nebraska Soybean Board
$43,143
Institution Funded:
University of Nebraska at Lincoln
$43,143
Brief Project Summary:

As drought conditions become increasingly more common in areas where soybeans are grown, soybeans that can withstand lower moisture levels would be a game changer for many soybean growers. A research team, funded by the Nebraska Soybean Board, is exploring how to utilize genetic modification to target a naturally occurring protein that can make soybeans more efficient with water use. The transgenic soybeans currently studied by the team produce more of this protein than conventional cultivars. They’re not introducing anything new into the soybean genome but helping soybeans to benefit from less stress.

Key Benefactors:
Soybean producers, geneticists, researchers, agronomists

Information And Results
Project Deliverables

FY 2021: The constructs will be made by the end of October 2021. The transformation produced plants of the T0 generation will be obtained in May 2022. The propagation of T0 plants to next generations, along with segregation for homozygosity and functionality of the introduced T-DNA, will be conducted in the third and fourth quarters. Selected homozygous T1 plants will be grown to T2 seeds which will be harvested in November 2022. FY 2022: Evaluation of all generated T2 lines for drought inducible over-expression of PsbS and water savings under drought conditions in greenhouse settings will be conducted in the first and second quarter. FY 2022 and FY 2023: The physiological, molecular, and growth characterization of selected T2 lines under controlled and drought conditions in greenhouse settings will be conducted in the second and third quarters of FY 2022 and FY 2023 while the field setting characterizations will be conducted in the third and fourth quarters of FY 2022 and FY 2023.

Final Project Results

Updated May 19, 2023:

View uploaded report PDF file

The transgenic lines overexpressing the PsbS protein have the potential to lead to development of soybean germplasm with superior water use efficiency that will conserve soil moisture and secure productivity if the crop becomes water limited.

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.