Others are beginning to test soybeans genetically engineered to produce new kinds of oils. One produces high levels of oleic acid, which may be useful for food and industrial applications, Fehr said. The future of these kinds of value-added products will depend on the value perceived by end users and consumers. Biotechnology is starting to help soybean breeders develop superior cultivars for farmers to grow. Researchers have identified DNA regions that are associated with genes for disease resistance.
Biotechnology also helps breeders understand how closely parental lines are related.
At ISU, a major goal of soybean biotechnology research is to understand and control diseases and nematode pests, Fehr said. With funding from the Iowa Soybean Promotion Board and the United Soybean Board, ISU scientists lead national efforts to use biotechnology to address soybean disease problems. Four teams, made up of researchers from 15 institutions, are tackling soybean cyst nematode, brown stem rot, soybean mosaic virus and Phytophthora rot. The teams plan research, share information and discuss results. I've never seen anything in soybean research that works as well as these teams.