2025
Evaluation and Commercialization of SOYLEIC Varieties in Illinois
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Contributor/Checkoff:
Illinois Soybean Association
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
GeneticsHigh oleic
Parent Project:
Evaluation and Commercialization of SOYLEIC Varieties in Illinois
Lead Principal Investigator:
Eliana Monteverde Dominguez, University of Illinois
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Illinois Soybean Association
$71,547
Institution Funded:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
$71,547
Brief Project Summary:
The goal of this research is to test and commercialize soybean varieties with improved seed oil quality to give growers new opportunities for producing soybean with a value-added trait and to increase demand for soybean oil. The program is developing varieties with improved oil quality with greater than 80% oleic acid and less than 3% linolenic acid (high oleic and low linolenic or HOLL), by combining two mutagenized and two naturally occurring genes which makes this a non-GMO source of HOLL oil. This allows us to market non-GMO HOLL varieties, resulting in increased premiums, and makes it easy to combine HOLL oil with new GMO technology, which would require a lengthy and expensive approval...
Information And Results
Project Summary

The goal of this research is to test and commercialize soybean varieties with improved seed oil quality to give growers new opportunities for producing soybean with a value-added trait and to increase demand for soybean oil. The program is developing varieties with improved oil quality with greater than 80% oleic acid and less than 3% linolenic acid (high oleic and low linolenic or HOLL), by combining two mutagenized and two naturally occurring genes which makes this a non-GMO source of HOLL oil. This allows us to market non-GMO HOLL varieties, resulting in increased premiums, and makes it easy to combine HOLL oil with new GMO technology, which would require a lengthy and expensive approval process if HOLL oil was a GMO trait. The genes we are using to develop varieties with the HOLL oil are being licensed from the University of Missouri and are being promoted by USB and the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council (MSMC) under the name SOYLEIC™.

Project Objectives

Through support from USB, the University of Illinois soybean breeding program is developing experimental lines with the SOYLEIC trait. This is being done using marker-assisted selection to pyramid the four genes needed to achieve greater than 80% oleic and less than 3% linolenic acid. The lines are being developed through backcrossing the SOYLEIC trait into high yielding backgrounds. The breeding pipeline is full of SOYLEIC breeding lines is full and in 2024 we plan to test 364 SOYLEIC experimental lines in preliminary yield tests, 141 in advanced yield tests, and a few thousand new SOYLEIC lines in plant rows.

Project Deliverables

We are in the process of releasing seven new SOYLEIC varieties in addition to the varieties released in 2022 and 2023, and our breeding pipeline is full of new experimental lines. Assuming high yielding Illinois adapted varieties are available, we expect a significant amount of this production will be in our state which will provide expanded opportunities for Illinois producers to grow value added soybean and increase the demand for our crop.

Progress Of Work

Final Project Results

Benefit To Soybean Farmers

SOYLEIC varieties will provide expanded opportunities for Illinois producers to grow value added soybean and increase the demand for our crop.

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.