Researchers at Purdue University and University of Nebraska have discovered a soybean gene known as D-12 that causes ‘semideterminacy’ – meaning a plant that continues vegetative growth post-flowering. These plants do not grow as tall as other soybean plants but are able to produce just as many or more pods per plant without breaking the main plant stem. Researchers can develop varieties of soybean cultivars that are specifically suited to adapt and increase yields in high-yielding, irrigated regions such as Nebraska and northeastern Indiana. Historically tall soybean plants called indeterminate soybeans which overlap vegetative and reproductive stages have been grown in the north because of the shorter growing season, but the height of the plant has made them prone to lodging or stem breakage. The isolation of the D-12 gene can enable scientists to breed a ‘semideterminate’ variety of soybean that can produce high yields without lodging while handling the shorter growing season.
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