The university’s latest soybean research project has provided information for further research and triggered a twin program at a university in Greece.

Stella Kantartzi heads the soybean research and is a graduate of Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, Greece. She said the university is looking into developing an identical program that will help accelerate the breeding process.

Kantartzi, an associate professor in the department of plant, soil and agricultural systems, said in an email the program was started last year with a seminar she organized, along with discussions during summer 2013.

The Saluki soybean varieties adapt well to the Midwest environment and offer competitive yield and disease resistance.

The plants are resistant to sudden death syndrome, soybean cyst nematodes, frogeye leaf spot and stem canker Kantartzi said. These diseases cause a significant loss of yield and are common diseases throughout the United States.

Soybean development takes around seven years, but Kantartzi said that certain factors can reduce that time to five years.

“New selection designs, highly thought out technology and shuttle breeding can reduce the time to five years,” she said.

Shuttle breeding involves a breeder using winter nurseries in warmer climates to advance their material before shuttling it back to SIU.

Although research has led to a better Saluki soybean, Kantartzi said the plant isn’t perfect.

“These varieties are not super plants, but they are significantly better than the ones SIU released before,” she said. “We always try to create genotypes with as many good traits as possible.”

Kantartzi did not use genetically modified materials in her research. A plant can become genetically modified when its DNA is transformed with genetic engineering methods. To combat this, Kantartzi said the university only uses conventional, or non-genetically modified material.

“Genetically modified plants are not part of our research,” she said. “My program uses only conventional lines. The advantage is that the varieties that are produced can be either used as conventional lines or can be transformed genetically.”

A line is a soybean that has specific traits that differentiate it from other soybeans.

Other research opportunities have stemmed from the Saluki soybean research.

James Anderson, a graduate student from Carbondale studying plant breeding, is currently researching soybean breeding for the production of biodiesel.

He said the research is centered on the quality of the soybean.

“A majority of soybeans at SIU have not had information for the oil quality done,” he said. “Part of my project is the identification of lines for both yield and fatty acid composition.”

Anderson is looking at lines, both commercially viable and experimental, in hopes of benefiting people who grow soybeans for biodiesel production.

“A commercially viable line has been tested in multiple locations for multiple years and will show good traits and then be considered for release or made commercially available,” he said. “An experimental line has not been as thoroughly tested. An experimental line may have good results in our area, but we have no idea if it would have the same results in multiple areas.”

Anderson said he hopes to provide lines which will be better suited for biodiesel production.

Raphael Hamawaki, a graduate student from Brazil studying plant breeding, is also using the Saluki soybeans for his research on nitrogen fixation.

He said he is involved in researching soybean genotypes with enhanced capacity to get nitrogen from the air. This is done by the symbiosis, a relationship established between two organisms.

Hamawaki said he is doing his research to obtain varieties which will continue to reach higher yeilds each year.

“By improving soybean genotypes to get more nitrogen from air through symbiosis, we will ensure that we will continue to grow soybeans without nitrogen fertilizer input,” he said. “Therefore guaranteeing sustainable crop intensification.”

Brent Meske can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @brentmeskeDE or at 536-3311 ext. 254