Soybean Variety Trials Expanded to Blair County
HARRISBURG, PA (June 1, 2012) – For soybean growers, there’s no other single management decision that has as much potential for impacting returns as variety selection, says Dr. Greg Roth, Professor of Agronomy at Penn State. Roth should know. He and his colleagues at Penn State have conducted variety trials for more than two decades.
As in past years, soybean varieties will be evaluated at test plots at Penn State’s Rock Springs, Pa. research farm in Centre County, and at the SEAREC research farm near Landisville, Lancaster County. This year, a third plot location in Blair County is being added to evaluate commercial soybean varieties there.
The variety trials research, funded by the Pennsylvania Soybean Board, is designed to help Pennsylvania farmers select the best variety with the right mix of soybean genetics and defensive traits for their soils and cropping practices.
“Soybean production is growing in this region with many intensively managed and high yielding acres,” says Roth, who heads the variety trials. “We split our soybean evaluations into early and late groups so that producers can assess these maturities differently. We’re also doing more evaluation of specialty conventional soybeans with USDA and some private companies to address the growing feed and export markets in the state. These are high protein and food grade lines with potentially high yields. “
Tests will likely include over 100 lines, with early and late Roundup Ready tests at each of the three locations. The Rock Springs and Landisville sites will include conventional and non-Roundup Ready lines, including some high protein and food grade varieties. The Landisville site will also have a double crop test following small grains.
For more information:
The 2002 – 2011 Soybean Variety Test Reports are available at http://cornandsoybeans.psu.edu/soyvarietytests.cfm.
About the Pennsylvania Soybean Board
The Pennsylvania Soybean Board is a farmer-controlled Board responsible for managing Pennsylvania’s share of funds received from the nationwide Soybean Checkoff program. The funding is available under an assessment program, approved by Congress in 1990, under which soybean farmers contribute 50 cents of every $100 they receive for their beans at the first point of sale. Funds are used to develop markets, educate consumers, and research new ways to utilize and produce soybeans more efficiently.
For more information, go to pasoybean.org.
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