Malheur Experiment Station Information for Sustainable Agriculture

Soybean is a potentially valuable new crop for Oregon. Soybean could provide a high quality protein for animal nutrition and oil for human consumption, both of which are in short supply in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, edible or vegetable soybean production could provide a raw material for specialized food products. Soybean is valuable as a rotation crop because of the soil-improving qualities of its residues and its N₂ -fixing capability. Because of the high-value irrigated crops typically grown in the Snake River valley, soybeans may be economically feasible only at high yields.

Soybean varieties developed for the midwestern and southern states are not necessarily well adapted to Oregon's lower night temperatures, lower relative humidity, and other climatic differences. Previous research at Ontario, Oregon has shown that, compared to the commercial cultivars bred for the Midwest, plants for eastern Oregon need to have high tolerance to seed shatter and lodging, reduced plant height, increased seed set, and higher harvest index (ratio of seed to the whole plant).

M. Seddigh and G.D. Jolliff at Oregon State University, Corvallis identified a soybean line that would fill pods when subjected to cool night temperatures. Those lines were crossed at Corvallis with productive lines to produce OR 6 and OR 8, among others. At this point, the development moved to Ontario, Oregon. The later two lines were crossed at our request for several years with early-maturing high-yielding semi-dwarf lines by R.L. Cooper to produce semi-dwarf lines with potential adaptation to the Pacific Northwest. Selection criteria at the Malheur Experiment Station included high yield, zero lodging, zero shatter, low plant height, and maturity in the available growing season. In 1992, 241 single plants were selected from five F5 lines that were originally bred and selected for adaptation to eastern Oregon. Seed from these selections was planted and evaluated in 1993. A total of 18 selections were found promising and selected for further testing in larger plots in 1994 and 1995. This report summarizes work done in 2001 as part of the continuing breeding and selection program to adapt soybeans to eastern Oregon.

The trial was conducted on a silt loam previously planted to onion. Fifty lb of N, 100 lb of P, 55 lb of K, 55 lb of S, 28 lb of Mg, 1.8 lb of Zn, and 1.2 lb of Cu were broadcast in the fall of 2000. The field was then disked twice, moldboard plowed, groundhogged twice and bedded to 22-inch rows. Seed of 8 single plant selections made in 1992, 18 single plant selections made in 1999, and 7 commercial cultivars was planted on May 18 at 200,000 seeds/acre in rows 22 inches apart. Seed was treated with ApronMaxx fungicide. Rhizobium japonicum soil implant inoculant was applied in the seed furrow at planting. Micro-Tech herbicide at 1.5 lbs ai/ac was sprayed on May 19. Emergence started on May 24. The field was furrow irrigated as necessary. Plots were four rows wide and 22 ft long. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with four replicates.

Plant height and reproductive stage were measured weekly for each cultivar. Stand counts were made in 3 ft of the middle two rows in each plot. Prior to harvest, each plot was evaluated for lodging and seed shatter. Lodging was rated as the degree to which the plants were leaning over (0 = vertical, 10 = prostrate). The middle two rows in each four-row plot were harvested on October 4 using a Wintersteiger Nurserymaster small plot combine. Beans were cleaned, weighed, and oven dried to determine moisture content. Dry bean yields were corrected to 13 percent moisture. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance. Means separation was determined by the protected least significant difference test.

Yields ranged from 22 bu/acre for 'Evans' to 56 bu/acre for 'M16' and 'Korada' (Table 1). All cultivars had seed counts sufficient for the manufacturing of tofu (<2,270 seeds/lb) in 2001. All of the single plant selections made in Madras, Oregon, except 'M9' and 'M13', had lodging of 5 or more. Seven of the 1992 single plant selections had seed counts sufficient for the manufacturing of tofu (<2,270) averaged over 5 years (Table 2). The cultivars 'M92-330', 'OR-8', 'Evans', and 'Sibley' had seed counts of less than 2,270 seeds per lb every year that seed counts were made. The lines 'M92-225' and 'M92-237' made reasonable tofu in food quality tests in 1999.

Plant populations were below the target of 300,000 plants per acre in 1996 and 1997 and the target of 200,000 plants per acre in 1999, 2000, and 2001 (Table 4).

Table 1. Performance of soybean cultivars, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, OR.

*Days from emergence.

Cultivars M92-085 through M92-350 are from single plant selections made at the Malheur Experiment Station in 1992. Cultivars M1 through M18 are from single plant selections made from M92-330 by Peter Sexton at the Central Oregon Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Madras, Oregon in 1999.

Table 2. Seed counts for soybean cultivars for 6 years, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, OR.

Table 3. Yield of soybean cultivars in 8 years. Hail depressed yields in 1998. Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, OR.

Table 4. Plant population for soybean cultivars for 5 years, Malheur Experiment Station, Oregon State University, Ontario, OR.

Home

Crops

Weather

Potato Blight

Water Quality

Irrigation

Weeds

Search

MES Publications, MES Notice of events, Vegetation,Malheur County, Leslie Gulch,Succor Creek,Owyhee River,Local wildlife,Strawberry Mountain, Eagle Caps

Malheur Agricultural Experiment Station

Last updated  Friday August 13, 2004 .