Soybeans are the world's largest source of animal protein feed and the second largest source of vegetable oil. In the U.S., soybean is the second largest crop. Farmers need to have high yielding cultivars developed specifically for adaptation to the Georgia and Southeast. Increasing yield and reducing the cost of production is imperative to increase soybean production in the Southeast. The most effective strategy to accomplish these goals is to develop high yielding, multiple-disease and pest resistant cultivars with value-enhanced traits.

Develop high-yielding soybean cultivars adapted to Georgia with advanced herbicide-tolerance technologies, enhanced seed composition, and pest and pathogen resistance.

Development of highly resistant soybean cultivars will be the most economical way to control diseases and pests in soybean such as soybean cyst nematode and root-knot nematode. Given the destructive potential of the diseases and insects and the cost of their controls, it is crucial to accelerate the development of nematode, disease, and insect resistant soybean cultivars. Strategic breeding for nematodes, diseases, and insects will protect the stability of the soybean yield.
Previous funding for this project has resulted in the development of Roundup Ready®, LibertyLink® as well as conventional cultivars with improved quality and pathogen resistance (see the report for details). The funding has allowed us to utilize the Puerto Rican nursery for 2 generation advancement, molecular tools for early generation selection, and introgression of new traits into our varieties. The funding also allowed expansion of our capacity of yield trials in Plains.

Updated November 28, 2023:

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Georgia soybean growers will be the primary beneficiaries of this research through their reduced production costs and higher seed yields of soybean varieties with advanced herbicide-tolerant trait technologies and pest and disease resistance that are of greater value to the poultry and swine industries. A higher protein meal will better suit the requirements of feed manufacturers and poultry and swine producers. An enhanced profitability for soybean would expand the level of rotation with other major crops in Georgia.