Soybean varieties developed by private companies,
especially those with Monsanto's Roundup Ready gene, are
now widely planted, but there is still a need for public
varieties, says seed dealer R.M. Bledsoe of Farmer's Elevator/Warehouse
Co., in Newport.
Several public varieties developed by the U of A Agricultural
Experiment Station, other land-grant universities and
the USDA are well-suited for many growing conditions in
Jackson County, Bledsoe says.
"If you have foul ground with a lot of weed pressure,
Roundup Ready is going to be a cheaper way to go. But
on ground that is not foul, if you have a weed control
program that works for you, the public varieties cost
a lot less," Bledsoe says.
"You can't beat a Hutcheson year-in and year-out in
most situations, if it's not on foul ground," he says.
"On heavy soil that's irrigated, Manokin is better than
Hutcheson. And we've always liked Crowley on post-oaky
problem fields."
Those are three of the five varieties of State Plant
Board Certified foundation seed produced in the Arkansas
Crop Variety Improvement Program to assure a genetically
pure supply of public varieties.
Developing improved public varieties is a major goal
of the U of A soybean breeding program supported by the
Arkansas Soybean Promotion Board.
Soybean breeder Clay Sneller says the U of A is now
adding Monsanto's Roundup Ready gene to advanced breeding
lines. Another four or five years of field tests for yield
potential and disease resistance of those transgenic lines
is required before a new variety could be considered for
release, he says.
"We have approval to use the Roundup Ready gene in
our research, but before we release a variety that includes
the gene, we'll have to have a commercialization agreement,"
Sneller says.
The commercialization agreement would likely include
the same restrictions that apply to private Roundup Ready
varieties, he says.
Advanced breeding lines are also being developed without
Roundup Ready or any other privately owned gene to preserve
the option of releasing public varieties without the restrictions
associated with most private varieties.
State Plant Board certified foundation seed of public
varieties produced by the Experiment Station include the
following:
- Hutcheson, a high-yielding mid-Group V variety that
is a standard for many growers;
- Manokin, a late Group IV variety with excellent
potential, well-suited for May planting;
- Crowley, a late Group V variety well-adapted for
doublecropping;
- UARK-5896, a late Group V variety with good disease
resistance; and
- Dillon, an early Group VI variety with high yield
potential in May production systems.
Soybeans Today January 1999
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ATTN: Brandy Carroll
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Little Rock, AR 72203-0031
Phone: 501-228-1268
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