UA Soybean Breeder Develops a Better Bean

As food for people or livestock, the more the protein, the better the soybean. By that standard, the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture is making a better bean.

Soybean breeder Dr. Pengyin Chen in the UA department of crop, soil and environmental sciences has developed a high-yielding breeding line for likely release as a new public variety with protein levels that are well above average. His work is supported by the Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board.

Oil and protein are the two main commercial soybean components. Oil has the most value in the U.S. market. But the United Soybean Board says protein is increasingly important to American farmers because it is important in Asia, a major export market. Soybean breeders keep score by the numbers posted in performance trials, such as those conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Like baseball box scores, the differences are small, but they mean a lot to those who understand the game. One of Chen’s advanced breeding lines was a winner in the scores published this June from the 2004 Uniform Soybean Testing Program in the Southeast and Mid-South. His R98-1821 breeding line had the highest percent protein and the second highest yield in its category.

To read more, please go to http://www.arkansasagnews.com/Publications/Agnews/agnews05-37.html