In the quest to optimize crop productivity across environments, soybean breeders test new cultivars in multiple locations each year. The best-performing cultivars across those locations are selected for further breeding and eventual commercialization. However a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign suggests current soybean testing locations may not be delivering breeders the biggest bang for their buck.
Breed more-resilient soybeans
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Catherine Gilbert, left, and Nicolas Martin found some soybean breeding areas are not optimally situated to ensure soybean resilience to the environment. The authors developed new maps for soybean breeders.
Maps from the study suggest optimal testing sites based on agroecological zones and soybean maturity groups.
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