Tag Archives: iowa soybean

Pioneer Hi-Bred Helps Growers Tackle Aphids

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Expert research team provides aphid tolerance scores, continues research
DES MOINES, Iowa, Soybean aphids plagued many fields across the United States U.S. this season, leaving growers to find more effective management strategies for next year. According to researchers at Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, growers can choose varieties based on aphid resistance – or antibiosis – scores. This is thanks to a designated Pioneer research team that evaluates aphid antibiosis and continues to improve aphid resistance in soybean varieties.
Pioneer researchers score soybean varieties by the plant’s antibiosis properties, or inherent characteristics that discourage aphids from feeding and reproducing. Researchers score soybean varieties exceptional (E), above average (AA), average (A) and below average (BA) which allows growers to prioritize field scouting and insecticide application.
Scouting for aphids is a common way to detect aphid infestations, a practice Jessie Alt, Pioneer research scientist, and fellow researchers promote.
“Pioneer is helping growers prioritize scouting by providing these antibiosis ratings,” Alt says. “Varieties with below-average antibiosis scores need to be managed differently than those with above-average scores. It’s important to keep a close check on field conditions because aphids can cause damage rapidly. If left untreated, aphids can destroy 50 percent of the potential yield.”
First appearing in the Great Lakes area in 2000, aphids quickly have become a major soybean pest in North America, spanning to almost all soybean-growing areas in the U.S. and Canada. In recent years, aphids are no longer an every-other-year issue, but instead can be a significant yield-robbing pest any season.
Currently, the most effective management strategies include selecting soybean varieties with native antibiosis and timely application of insecticides.
“Aphids are a major issue right now, so we’re addressing the problem with a special soybean team comprised of breeders, research scientists and an entomologist,” Alt says. “We conduct controlled screenings to develop stronger antibiosis scores in different soybean varieties.”
Pioneer research teams expect to unveil new products with improved soybean antibiosis scores that incorporate the best new or novel genes conferring resistance. The level of resistance acts as a type of insurance to growers by protecting their crop from this pest while reducing the number of insecticide applications, Alt says.
“Growers can manage soybean aphids by planting resistant soybeans as the first line of defense,” she says. “And they can back that up with insecticide applications if necessary.” To find resistance to multiple aphid biotypes, Pioneer researchers draw from many different sources.
“Our research includes screening multiple areas to give us a broad idea of how Pioneer varieties will respond to soybean aphids,” Alt says. “We screen aphid collections from several different sites around the Midwest. For example, aphids in Indiana or Ohio may behave differently than those in South Dakota. Having multiple research sites throughout North America is a significant benefit to help us determine which products work best in specific soybean-growing areas.”
Antibiosis research involves trapping aphids into the sticky cages on leaves of the soybean then observing whether the insects can reproduce or colonize. The Pioneer research team performs various testing in controlled growth centers.
“Our research shows the Pioneer antibiosis rating system is working,” Alt says. “We test soybean varieties for their aphid tolerance level in fields ranging from those treated with varied levels of insecticide to untreated fields. It’s evident how devastating aphid damage can be on fields of varieties with low tolerance to aphids.”
Moving forward, growers likely will see continued improvements in the area of soybean aphid antibiosis as well as resistant varieties.
“There’s a lot of research being done with resistant lines,” Alt says. “We’re stacking genes to create a higher level of resistance in the future. On-farm product advancement trials in 2010 will continue to help us determine what’s working best.”

Source: WEBWIRE

Pioneer® Brand Soybeans Show Significant Yield Advantage Over Competitive Varieties in 2009

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Pioneer Soybeans Demonstrate 2.7 Bu/Ac Advantage over Varieties with Roundup Ready 2 Yield® Technology.
DES MOINES, Iowa, Soybean varieties from Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, show a 1.3 bushel per acre yield advantage against all competitive varieties, according to data collected on 11,692 direct, on-farm field comparisons in 2009. Among these comparisons, Pioneer® brand soybeans with the original Roundup Ready® gene have on average a 2.7 bushel per acre yield advantage against varieties from competitors with the new Roundup Ready 2 Yield® technology.
The comparisons also show that Pioneer soybean varieties have a 2.8 bu/ac yield advantage over Asgrow varieties with the Roundup Ready 2 Yield® technology.
Data for these comparisons were collected throughout all soybean production areas in North America — and significant yield advantages for Pioneer soybean varieties were seen by growers within all regions.
“These yield results show what growers have learned to expect from Pioneer soybean varieties, that there is a significant difference between Pioneer and the competition in terms of yield and income,” said Frank Ross, Pioneer vice president and regional director, North American. “We expect that the advantages for growers will continue into the 2010 growing season and beyond.”
Much of the success for growers stems from Pioneer Y Series soybeans, introduced onto the marketplace in the 2009 growing season. Pioneer Hi-Bred is adding 26 new soybean varieties to its lineup for 2010, providing more than 50 Y Series soybean varieties for growers across North American next season. In addition to enhanced yield, these new Y Series varieties offer growers strong agronomic traits and protection against yield-robbing pests such as soybean cyst nematode (SCN), sudden death syndrome (SDS), Phytophthora root rot, white mold and iron chlorosis.
“All new varieties are part of the Y Series lineup which continues to show yield, agronomic and defensive package advantages over competitors,” Ross said. “This class of products will offer growers the opportunity for optimum yields for each field.
“For 2009 planting, nearly 8 million acres were planted with Pioneer Y series beans, the largest launch in company history,” Ross added. “We will have product to plant up to 20 million acres of Y series beans in 2010. Early invoicing – even with the significant harvest delay – indicates strong demand for these high-performing products.”
The launch of the Y Series is the result of a proprietary matrix of traits and technologies Pioneer researchers have been developing and deploying to accelerate product development. Pioneer is employing its exclusive Accelerated Yield Technology (AYT™) system and marker-assisted selection to boost the yield potential and improve the agronomic performance of these varieties. This harnesses the power of the Pioneer germplasm collection, strong bioassays, computing power and molecular breeding tools to drive genetic gain at unprecedented rates.
Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is the world’s leading source of customized solutions for farmers, livestock producers and grain and oilseed processors. With headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, Pioneer provides access to advanced plant genetics in nearly 70 countries.

Source: WEBWIRE