Raymond F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding

Soybeans, ready for harvest

Achievements and Activities

The members of the Raymond F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding can list many achievements. Included in their accomplishments are the development of germplasm that improves yield, increases nutritional value, enhances pest and disease resistance, and improves a plant’s tolerance to drought or extreme temperatures. These improvements to crops grown around the world are achieved through hypothesis based research techniques, the careful selection of desired traits, and the application of genetic theory.

 

Rye grass study initiated. Dr. Thomas Lübberstedt and Plant Sciences Institute scientist Ursula Frei have begun a study of perennial ryegrass, Lolium perrenne. The study looks at 50 varieties and accessions gathered from breeding programs around the world. Frei postulates that ryegrass could be a perennial cover crop planted with maize. Lübberstedt is using perennial rye grass as a model to understand the genetic and physical properties involved in self-incompatibility, which could lead to advances in developing non-flowering grasses, a trait that might be better suited to the biofuels industry.

Fehr honored by Iowa Soybean Association. Dr. Walter Fehr received the Iowa Soybean Association’s first ever Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented at the association’s annual policy conference. John Heisdorffer, ISA president, noted that the award recognized Fehr’s “tireless work for soybean farmers and his visionary leadership in soybean research.” Fehr’s research has led to the development of more than 200 food grade soybean varieties grown throughout the state of Iowa and the U.S.

Center member receives award. Dr. Silvia Cianzio, agronomy professor and member of the Raymond F. Baker Center for Plant Breeding, has been named a Fellow to the Crop Science Society of America (CSSA). This honor recognizes individuals for their professional achievements and meritorious service. Cianzio’s research program focuses on breeding soybeans with resistance to disease, pests, and abiotic stress. She has served as associate editor for Crop Science and is active in the CSSA and the Puerto Rico Seed Research Association.

Soybean varieties released. Six new soybean varieties have been released by Iowa State University. The four new ultralow linolenic acid and two low saturate soybean varieties were developed under the direction of Walter Fehr. These soybean varieties can be used by the food industry to produce cooking oils with no trans-fats, a consideration for healthy diets.

Students receive awards. This year’s C.R. Weber Award for Excellence in Plant Science goes to Paola Perez, a PhD student in plant breeding studying with Drs. Reid Palmer and Silvia Cianzio. Her research focuses on looking at mechanisms in flowers that attract pollinators and identifying regions in the soybean genome that impart resistance to harmful insects and diseases.

The 2008 Josef F. Schuler Fellowships in Agronomy have been awarded to graduate students Greg Doonan and Karen Grote. The award, announced by Dr. Walter Fehr, is designated for graduate students in plant breeding who have graduated from an Iowa institution and have a grade point average of 3.5 (out of 4.0) or greater.

Center welcomes new member. Dr. Maria Salas Fernandez joined the Agronomy Department faculty in August 2008. In addition to teaching, she will conduct research in forage breeding for bioenergy production. Her expertise has been focused on sorghum breeding, but she will also work with other forage crops.

Corn breeding featured in documentary. Kendall Lamkey was among Iowa State University experts featured on a Discovery Channel documentary titled ‘How Stuff Works: Corn.’ The show aired on television November 14 and January 10.

SDS resistant soybean released. AR10SDS, a soybean variety with resistance to sudden death syndrome (SDS), was released in 2008. Among the researchers involved in the project was Silvia Cianzio. The genotype is one of the first of early maturity groups with SDS resistance. Resistance genes were transferred from Ripley, a MG IV cultivar, into MG II lines.