The United Soybean Board (USB) approved more than $6 million in research funding to support a total of 19 projects involving ISU researchers for fiscal year 2024. Following are projects that involve 13 ISRC affiliates as PI (principal investigator) or co-PI.

Silvina Arias, plant pathology, entomology and microbiology (PPEM), Daren Mueller, PPEM, Arti Singh, agronomy, Gary Munkvold, PPEM, and Leonor Leandro, PPEM, will serve as co-PIs on a project titled “Seedling pathogens in soybean: Disease management and farmer education” led by Febina Mathew, North Dakota State University.

Madan Bhattacharyya, agronomy, will serve as PI on two projects titled "Molecular Mapping and Development of a Phytophthora and Sudden Death Syndrome Resistant Cultivar" and "Introgression of Drought and Flood Tolerance Genes into Four Elite Soybean Cultivars Through Backcrossing."

Eric Cochran, chemical and biological engineering, will serve as PI with Chris Williams, civil, construction and environmental engineering, as co-PI on a project titled “Next Generation High Oleic Polymers.”

Leonor Leandro, PPEM, will serve as PI with Daren Mueller, PPEM, and Danny Singh, agronomy, as co-PIs on a project titled "Biology and Management of Soybean Stem Diseases."

Mark Licht, agronomy, will serve as co-PI on a project led by Joe McClure of the Iowa Soybean Association titled “Nationwide Validation of Management Methods for Sustainable Soy.”

Daren Mueller, PPEM, will serve as PI on a project titled "Crop Protection Network: Delivering Soybean Research Results to Farmers through National Partnerships." 

Daren Mueller, PPEM, will serve as co-PI on projects titled “Better Together: Bridging Soybean Disciplines to Collaboratively Deliver Soybean Best Management Practices” led by Rachel Vann, North Carolina State University, and “The Continued Development and Dissemination of a Comprehensive and Sustainable Management Program for the Main Foliar Diseases of Soybean” led by Ahmad Fakhoury, Southern Illinois University.

Alison Robertson, PPEM, will serve as co-PI on a project titled “Developing Perfect Molecular Markers and New Germplasm for Rapid Incorporation of Resistance to Soilborne Pathogens of Soybean” led by Feng Qu, The Ohio State University.

Danny Singh, agronomy, will serve as co-PI on a projects titled “Discovering and Deploying Genetic Solutions Across Maturity Groups for Durable Resistance to Multiple Nematodes” led by Zenglu Li, University of Georgia and “Yield Limitations of Soybean Varieties Under Drought: Identifying and Overcoming Weaknesses by Team Drought via Breeding, Genomics, Phenomics and Physiology” led by Ben Fallen, USDA-ARS.

Greg Tylka, PPEM, will serve as co-PI on a project titled “SCN Profit Checker Campaign” led by Sam Markell, North Dakota State University.