AMES, Iowa — The Iowa Soybean Research Center’s Industry Advisory Council met in September for its annual meeting to consider proposed soybean research ideas and to offer guidance on how to best invest more than $400,000 in available new funding. Based on the council’s recommendations, the ISRC funded three new soybean research projects led by Iowa State University researchers, described below.
New Projects
A two-component resistance system against the soybean cyst nematode
Professor Thomas Baum, plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, will build on his laboratory’s recent advances to develop gene constructs to make soybeans defend against the soybean cyst nematode (SCN). This approach relies on specific DNA “switches” that can turn on the production of a protective protein only where the nematodes feed on soybean roots. As an additional safeguard, this project explores mechanisms to ensure that the protective protein remains inactive in other parts of the plant, preventing unintended effects. This project will generate gene constructs that will be tested in soybean plants to create targeted resistance to SCN.
Genetic mapping of waterhemp to combat herbicide resistance and weed competition with soybean
Assistant Professor Wesley Everman, agronomy, will investigate what makes waterhemp such a successful and troublesome weed for soybean farmers. Previous research mostly looked at how weeds develop resistance to specific weedkillers after it happens. Everman's team is taking a step back to map the weed's genetics to figure out what specific traits make waterhemp so competitive and aggressive in the first place. By discovering the genes that give weeds an unfair advantage, this research will help farmers and industry develop smarter, long-term ways to manage stubborn weeds.
Updating the soybean differential set used to characterize populations of Phytophthora Sojae and support integration of Rps genes into commercial germplasm
Professor Alison Robertson and Research Scientist Clarice Schmidt, plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, will study how to better protect Iowa soybeans from the common disease Phytophthora stem and root rot. They will test newly discovered protective genes (called Rps genes) to see which ones successfully fight off local populations of the disease-causing organism. By adding these new protective genes into an updated set of soybean lines, they can better identify and track different strains of the pathogen and advise breeders which Rps genes to add to varieties and help farmers choose the right resistant varieties to protect their crops.
ISRC Soybean Research Forum
The day prior to the ISRC’s Industry Advisory Council meeting, more than 70 farmers, industry representatives and researchers came together to share ideas and concerns at the ISRC Soybean Research Forum. Ideas generated during the forum help identify research needs for future projects, and outcomes will be shared with faculty research affiliates before the ISRC’s 2027 research funding cycle. At the end of the forum, 18 graduate students and research staff showcased their soybean-related research during a poster session ..
About the Iowa Soybean Research Center and ISRC Industry Advisory Council
The Iowa Soybean Research Center was established in 2014 by Iowa State University in partnership with the Iowa Soybean Association. The center was founded to increase soybean production and profitability for Iowa farmers through coordinated research efforts involving Iowa State, the Iowa Soybean Association and the private sector. The ISRC is a formal collaboration of Iowa soybean farmers, industry partners, the Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
The ISRC’s Industry Advisory Council is made up of three Iowa soybean farmers and 18 industry partner representatives and is led by council chair, Joe McClure, chief officer of Research Center for Farming Innovation for the Iowa Soybean Association. The ISRC is led by co-directors Mark Licht, associate professor of agronomy and Steve Whitham, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology.
Current industry partners include Advanced Agrilytics, AMVAC, BASF, Bayer, Beck’s, BioConnect Iowa, ENAI, GDM, Inari, Meristem Crop Performance, Nutrien, Peterson Genetics, Spraytec, Syngenta, TerraMax, Tidal Grow, Valent and Vylor. Each industry partner has a representative on the center’s advisory council, who serve along with three farmer representatives. The council meets annually to provide feedback on what research should be funded by the center. For more information on how to join the council, contact one of the individuals listed below.
Contacts
Mark Licht, ISRC, 515-294-0877, lichtma@iastate.edu
Steve Whitham, ISRC, 515-294-4952, swhitham@iastate.edu
Kara Berg, ISRC Communications, 515-294-8927, kjberg@iastate.edu