ISRC Funds Three New Soybean Research Projects
October 18, 2023
The Iowa Soybean Research Center’s (ISRC) Industry Advisory Council (IAC) met in September for their annual meeting to consider proposed soybean research ideas and offer guidance on how to best invest $414,000 in new funding available. Over the past year, the ISRC added four new industry partners, making for a total of 20 partners represented on the council along with three soybean farmer representatives.
The meeting began with a welcome by the new IAC chair and Iowa Soybean Association Senior Director of Research Christie Wiebbecke, followed by an overview of the center by director Greg Tylka.
Due to the growth of the council in recent years, the ISRC decided to start with several smaller discussion groups to review and provide feedback on 14 different research ideas. Then, all came back together for a report out from the small group discussions to see which projects rose to the top in the selection process.
Following the IAC meeting, the ISRC Management Team met to discuss the IAC’s recommendations and sought further clarification on two of the projects before making a final decision. After a second management team meeting, it was decided that the ISRC would fund three new projects, described below.
New Project Funding
Characterization of Iron Deficiency and Fusarium graminearum Interactive Responses in Soybean: Silvina Arias, adjunct assistant professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, will receive funding to study the characterization of soybean genes that are differentially regulated by the host during F. graminearum infection in an iron deficiency environment in order to identify new potential resistance mechanisms and candidate genes involved in the defense response. Jamie O’Rourke, research geneticist, agronomy, is a collaborator on this project.
Application of Innovative Intercropping Practices to Increase Soybean Production in Iowa: Silvina Arias, adjunct assistant professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, will receive funding to study the application of intercropping practices involving the harvest of one of Iowa’s main cash crops, soybean, plus the harvest of a second crop in the same field, in the same year, reducing negative environmental impacts. Additionally, growing soybean with winter crops, such as small grains and oilseed crops (canola), is a way to take advantage of Iowa’s six-month fallow period. Co-PIs (principal investigators) include Leonor Leandro, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology and Mark Licht, associate professor of agronomy.
Soil Amendment with Biofuel Industry Co-products (Biochar and Digestate) for Improving Soybean Disease Management and Enhancing Soil Health: Leonor Leandro, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, will receive funding to determine if soil amended with co-products from the biofuel industry, namely biochar and digestate, can suppress soybean diseases caused by soilborne pathogens. Their research will focus on the pathogens that cause soybean sudden death syndrome and soybean root rot because of their economic importance and their soilborne nature. Co-PIs include Santanu Bakshi, Bioeconomy Institute and Lisa Schulte Moore, Bioeconomy Institute, natural resource ecology and management.