Universities Offer Valuable 2010 Yield Challenge Input

Credible, comprehensive data collection is one of the primary goals of the Illinois Soybean Association (ISA) 2010 Yield Challenge.  So ISA is relying on several university researchers and crop specialists statewide to provide the right expertise for making sure the information collected is accurate and useful to farmers in the long run.

“University participation is crucial, given their history of productive research and education,” says Mike Levin, ISA director of legislative affairs and special projects.  ”Their contributions to the solid development of the 2010 Yield Challenge program have been priceless.  Top researchers have spearheaded professional approaches to take our ideas and make them workable and valuable for individual farmers, agribusinesses and academic professionals.”

University of Illinois Extension personnel and other staff at four of the state’s major universities are involved with the 2010 Yield Challenge.  They include: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois State University, Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Western Illinois University.  National Soybean Research Laboratory (NSRL) researchers also are providing input into the program.

“The NSRL is working closely with the ISA to develop the 2010 Yield Challenge.  The event is an exciting and novel opportunity to generate new ways to think about increasing soybean yields in Illinois,” says Linda Kull, NSRL research specialist.  “The 2010 Yield Challenge will engage the imaginations of young people, the experience of farmers and agribusinesses, and the scientific capacity of state colleges and universities all involved in agriculture. For the data generated by the participants’ side-by-side comparison plots, NSRL and university researchers are designing a Web-based information system to analyze the 2010 Yield Challenge data and make it available to Illinois soybean growers.”

Levin says farmers can look forward to that involvement.  “Specifically, we have called on the best researchers for actual field testing, another source of data, strict scientific protocols and the opportunity to evaluate results in pure research settings,” he says.  “University participants set a trusted foundation to monitor and verify results, as well as another source for submitting ideas and data points.  Researchers will provide a platform for getting 2010 Yield Challenge information and data results out to Illinois soybean farmers through the use of their staff, facilities, Extension programs and publications.”

For example, the 2010 Yield Challenge offers participants the opportunity to have their soil tested for soybean cyst nematode (SCN).  University of Illinois and Southern Illinois University Carbondale researchers will work together using both their laboratory and greenhouse facilities to try out a new SCN Type testing.  Jason Bond, SIUC associate plant science professor, will head up exploration in further understanding SCN.

“SCN continues to be the most important pathogen in soybean production.  More than 80 percent of Illinois fields are infested,” Bond says.  ”To be competitive in the 2010 Yield Challenge, participants will have to be cognizant of not only selecting high yielding varieties, but ones that also are resistant to SCN.  In the short term, we can help increase awareness for current recommendations on managing production constraints.  In the long term, we will begin to see various strategies and approaches that are reported to increase yield and manage SCN so some strategies may then be adopted in production acres.”

All totaled, about 16 university crop scientists and researchers are involved in the 2010 Yield Challenge.  More information can be found at www.soyyieldchallenge.com.

*Content Funded by the Soybean Checkoff