The soybean and plant science team celebrated Earth Day gardening together as a team while making a genuinely positive impact.
Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research Unit - Raleigh, NC
Yield experimental plots are planted at four sites in the eastern half of the state (Clayton, Plymouth, Sandhills, Caswell).
Hybridization or Cross-Pollination
Is the first step to generate new soybean varieties. It combines the desirable traits from different soybean parents into a single plant.
Hand-crossing of soybean. The average success rate is 40% depending on:
- pollinator experiences,
- environment,
- genetic compatibility,
- quality of the flowers.
Utilizing diversity in cultivated and wild soybean to develop adapted germplasm with improved agronomic traits.
Developing soybean cultivars and germplasm with increased protein quantity and quality using diversity from wild soybean.
Image of: An International Journal of Plant Registrations Volume 13.Number 2 (2019).
Screening for flood tolerance at Tidewater Research Station Plymouth
We play a role in outreach programs to teach and expose Science Teachers, NCSU students, and other community members to our Soybean Breeding Program and Agricultural Science topics in Raleigh.
The Soybean & Nitrogen Fixation Research Unit aims to improve soybean yield, quality, and resilience to climate change for environmentally sustainable production of high-yielding, high-value soybean. Our research focuses on the development of soybeans with broad genetic diversity, high yield, high protein quantity and quality, heart-healthy oil, and tolerance to drought, heat, and flood. We accomplish these objectives by integrating modern genomics, plant physiology, and conventional plant breeding.
Useful Links:
Publications at this location:
Uniform Soybean Tests, Southern States Report
Chart Soybean yield by year, US
Final USDA Report Agrees with Main Street Data's (MSD’s) Soybean Yield Forecast
USDA raises the US. 2019 corn, soybean production
150 Years of Research at the United States Department of Agriculture: Plant Introduction and Breeding, ARS, June 2013.
