NCSRP Grower Board Votes to Fund $2.4 Million in Soybean Research
Urbandale, IA-�The North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP) Board of Directors met on March 1, 2006, and approved funding for targeted soybean research proposals totaling $2.436 million.
The meeting was held in Anaheim, CA, in conjunction with the Commodity Classic convention and trade show.
NCSRP directors allocated 23% of the $2.4 million to Asian soybean rust research, which includes the checkoff- and USDA-funded Sentinel Plot program, fungicide trials and an innovative new partnership with the University of Florida to monitor rust year-round.
In addition, 19% of the budget is committed to soybean aphid research.
Other NCSRP research priorities are:
-Phytophthora.
-Emerging soybean viruses.
-Frogeye Leaf Spot & Charcoal Rot.
-Biotechnology approaches to developing resistance to multiple diseases.
-Iron deficiency chlorosis.
-Sudden Death Syndrome.
-Soybean Cyst Nematode.
�Thanks to the proactive nature of the NCSRP board, we�re funding projects that focus on the major emerging threats to today�s soybean growers,� says David Wright, Ph.D., director of NCSRP�s Plant Health Initiative.
�Many of these projects are collaborative efforts between checkoff organizations, various USDA agencies and land-grant universities, all working together to leverage resources and avoid duplication.�
Following Asian rust to Florida
According to Wright, one of the best examples of collaboration is the new partnership between NCSRP-funded scientists in the Midwest and the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville.
�They�ve opened the doors of their Quincy Research Station to Midwest soybean researchers, providing lab space, greenhouse space, and land for Asian rust research trials, because that�s where rust is, and where it�ll most likely be every year.�
NCSRP funding will help defray the costs of operating UF�s Quincy research laboratory, greenhouse and land rental.
NCSRP funds also will help offset the cost of UF scientists training certified crop advisors in the identification and management of Asian soybean rust, as well as hiring two scientists to detect and monitor rust year-round in Florida.
�In 2005 when rust hit, Florida was � and remains � Ground Zero.
"UF spent more than $250,000 on rust last year, despite having no budget for it,� Wright explains.
�And keep in mind that rust isn�t Florida�s biggest agricultural concern.
"With citrus a $9 billion a year industry, they�re allocating more resources to citrus greening disease and citrus canker,� he says.
In fact, three officials from the Florida Department of Agriculture who had been monitoring Asian rust already have been reassigned to citrus diseases.
According to Gregg Fujan, NCSRP president, �With UF and the Florida Ag Department moving away from rust work, we felt it was really important to maintain a presence there, because Asian rust is present in Florida year-round.�
Another benefit of the partnership is that it gives Midwestern scientists easy access to Asian rust.
�Many states have laws that prohibit bringing in an invasive species for research until the species arrives in the state,� Wright continues.
�These laws are certainly understandable, but they�re limiting our ability to do preemptive research in many Midwestern states.�
That�s another reason the NCSRP board feels so strongly about helping fund research efforts with UF.
Adds Fujan: �In Florida, scientists have unlimited access to Asian rust.
"They don�t have to conduct research in a quarantined facility or controlled environment.
"So NCSRP-funded scientists can do practical, in-field research without spending a fortune.
"That�s your checkoff dollars at work.�
Aphid update from David Ragsdale
Also at the NCSRP board meeting, directors were updated on the latest soybean aphid research from David Ragsdale, Ph.D., entomologist at the University of Minnesota.
The principle investigator on several NCSRP aphid research projects, Ragsdale explained that they�ve discovered a fungus on some soybean leaves that kills aphids.
�This means that with non-judicious use of fungicides, a grower might actually increase the chances of having high aphid populations,� Wright says.
Ragsdale also told the NCSRP board about a tiny, parasitic wasp that�s proven to be an effective biological control method for aphids, which will soon be released on a wide scale.
�Farmers are looking for a green solution to pest problems, and we�re going to have good success on aphid.
�The vision of NCSRP and the United Soybean Board is to develop varieties with genetic resistance to aphid, while increasing the number of aphids� natural predators,� Wright continues.
�The idea is to keep the population of aphid suppressed and reduce the damage on soybeans without having to spray pesticides.�
For more information, call David Wright at 515-251-8640.
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