FUNDED BY THE ILLINOIS SOYBEAN ASSOCIATION CHECKOFF PROGRAM.

LEARN

EVALUATION AND COMMERCIALIZATION OF SOYLEIC VARIETIES IN ILLINOIS

Dr. Brian Diers
Professor of Soybean Breeding
University of Illinois Urbana
217-265-4062
bdiers@illinois.edu

QUESTIONS THIS PROJECT WILL ADDRESS

  • How can Illinois soybean farmers extract more value from their crop?

  • Health concerns over trans-fats have decreased use of soybean oil as a food product. The University of Missouri has developed a soybean trait that has improved oil quality via non-GMO breeding. Marketed as SOYLEICâ„¢, the varieties contain greater than 80% oleic acid and less than 3% linolenic acid (high oleic and low linolenic, or HOLL). While the United Soybean Board (USB) has been funding the Illinois SOYLEIC breeding program, testing demands for the existing pipeline exceed USB support.

  • ISA checkoff funding will give the breeding program the resources to conduct an intensive evaluation of SOYLEIC lines developed through funding from USB. The number of yield plots will increase by at least 4,000 across five Illinois locations.

  • Illinois farmers will have more options for high-yielding SOYLEIC varieties adapted to the various growing environments across the state. This will allow them to capitalize on premium market opportunities in the food industry and various industrial uses.

  • The SOYLEIC breeding effort is a collaboration with breeders at other universities.
  • The Illinois breeding program collaborates with the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council (MSMC) to coordinate testing and seed increases of elite SOYLEIC experimental lines to increase the speed that varieties are released.
  • The MSMC team also works with seed companies, processors and the food industry to increase demand for SOYLEIC oil.
  • 2-row preliminary tests in four locations in Illinois and SOYLEIC lines in 4-row advanced yield tests in five Illinois locations