Purdue Soybean News Tips

October 1993 Soybean-derived chemicals could clean environment Part of America's pollution solution someday may be raised on farms. Peroxidase, an oxidizing enzyme found in soybean seed coats, is an environmentally friendly alternative to chemicals used in paper manufacturing, waste water treatment, soil remediation, the production of conductive wire coating and on-site waste destruction. Purdue researchers are developing a sensitive test to detect and measure peroxidase levels in soybeans. If a cultivar high in peroxidase can be developed, techniques exist for isolating the enzyrne for commercial use. CONTACT: Richard Vierling, director, Genetics Laboratory Program, 765-474-3494. Pharmaceutical pharming may be in our future America's farmland has the potential to become America's pharmacy. Purdue researchers are exploring the possibility of developing soybeans to produce proteins used in cancer therapy or human and animal vaccines. Lab cultures now used to manufacture these proteins are prone to low yield and fungal contamination. Producing the proteins in soybean fields could lower the cost of these drugs to consumers. CONTACT: Richard Vierling, director, Genetics Laboratory Program, 765-474-3494. Researcher finds new forms of an old enemy: PhytopAthora Three new races of an old enemy fungus have been identified by a Purdue researcher. In l99O, Indiana farmers found their "phytophthora-resistant" beans were being killed by the fungus. In 1993, a Purdue researcher identified three new races of Phytophthora in Indiana fields and began searching for genes for resistance to them. Identifying the genes is the first step toward developing disease-resistant varieties. Such research can have vast economic effects. For example, yield losses suffered by Indiana soybean growers from all diseases in 1992 amounted to $175 million. CONTACT: T. Scott Abney, USDA plant pathologist and professor of botany and plant pathology, 765-494-9859. More protein could expand markets for Midwest growers Purdue is breeding new high-protein soybean varieties that will be more competitive in the world market. Although a trend is developing toward buying soybeans based on protein, such varieties usually produce lower yields. Because buyers currently purchase soybeans based on volume, growers have little reason to plant high-protein varieties. Indiana soybeans are generally 4O to 41 percent protein, a percentage point or two behind South American beans, which gives the South American beans a competitive edge in some markets. A Purdue agronomist is crossing high-yielding, disease-resistant soybeans with high-protein lines to develop varieties with as much as 43 percent protein without sacrificing yield. CONTACT: James R. Wilcox, professor of agronomy, 765-494-8O74. Hairy skin, bad flavor turn away soybean bean leaf beetles Soybeans that are hairy and taste bad can turn away bean leaf beetles, which will give farmers better yields with less pesticide. Each year Indiana soybean growers spend $5OO,OOO to $2 million on pesticides to control the bean leaf beetle. Also, the tiny pests steal profits by reducing yields and bean quality. In the 198Os, as a Purdue entomology professor tended his soybean plots, he noticed that hairy soybeans suffered less beetle damage. He knew that other plants' resistance came from their bad taste or nutritional makeup, so he used that information to start a breeding program. He coordinates his research with work being done in Illinois, Maryland, Mississippi and Ohio. CONTACT: C. Richard Edwards, professor of entomology, 765-494-4562. New disease spreads in soybean fields Sudden Death Syndrome (SDS) will be a problem this year for soybean growers in states that had unusually wet growing seasons. SDS, first found in Arkansas in the late 197Os, appeared in the flood plain fields in southwestern Indiana in 1985. This year the disease hit central Indiana. It can cut a field's yield by half. A Purdue plant pathologist is searching for genetic resistance to SDS in both exotic soybean germplasm and currently grown varieties. He also is testing current varieties to see which produce best in SDS-infested fields. And he is looking for management practices (rotation, different tillage systems, early applied fungicides, foliar-applied nitrogen) to improve plant health. So far, research has shown that fertilizer and fungicide applied early in the season can reduce disease losses. CONTACT: T. Scott Abney, USDA plant pathologist and professor of botany and plant pathology, 765-494-9859. Contact Purdue News Service (765) 494-2096 or purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page