THOMAS E. DEVINE
USDA, ARS, ANRI, SASL
Building 001, Room 126, BARC-West
Beltsville, MD 20705
301-504-6375 (voice), 301-504-6491 (fax)
 Thomas.Devine@ars.usda.gov

Educational Background

B.S. Fordham University, Biology
M.S. Pennsylvania State University, Genetics and Breeding
Ph.D. Iowa State University, Cytogenetics and Breeding

Research Experience

Research Geneticist:

Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory (2000-present);

Weed Science Laboratory (1997 - 2000);

Soybean Genetics, Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory (1988 - 1997);

Soybean Genetics, Nitrogen Fixation Laboratory (1983 - 1988);

Soybean Genetics, Cell Culture and Nitrogen Fixation Laboratory (1975 - 1983);

Plant Nutrition Laboratory (1974 - 1975);

Alfalfa Investigations and Applied Genetics Laboratory (1969 - 1974)

Research Geneticist:

Special Purpose Legume Investigations, USDA/ARS. Assistant Professor, Department of Plant Breeding and Biometry, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (1967 - 1969).

Graduate Research Assistant

Forage Breeding, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (1960 - 1963)

New Soybean Cultivars

 Dr. Devine bred three forage soybean cultivars released in 1997 by ARS. These were the first soybean cultivars to be bred for use as forage. They are exceptionally vigorous with the protential to grow to heights exceeding six feet. They have widespread use for silage, hay and grazing as well as use for green manure and use as a companion crop with grass species such as pearl millet, sorghum and corn. For information on obtaining the seeds for these cultivars, contact the companies below.

Two new cultivars, Tara and Moon Cake,
are currently in the process of release.

Tara is a multi-use cultivar intended for use in wildlife seed mixtures as well as for livestock forage and production of increased crop residue (straw) to reduce soil erosion. The vigorous tall-growth characteristic and moderately small seed size of Tara make it well suited to use in wildlife seed mixtures. Tara provides tall cover and a high protein forage for wildlife. Tara can also be used as a high quality forage for livestock and dairy producers. Growers of Tara can retain the option of using the crop as either forage or grain until late in the growing season. The increased crop residue biomass produced by Tara provides soybean grain producers with a soil conservation benefit by reducing soil erosion and increasing carbon sequestration.

Moon Cake is a tall-growing, large-seeded vegetable soybean cultivar that will be especially valuable to organic growers who cannot use herbicides. The exceptionally tall growth of this vegetable soybean will enable it to compete better against weeds. In addition, after the green seeds have been stripped from the plant, the remainder of the plant can be fed as fresh forage to sheep, goats, or other livestock maintained by farmers with small-scale, diversified farming operations.

Media Files

• Dr. Devine, along with Justin Barone and J.E. McMurtrey participated in making a USDA video on soybean for bioenergy production on Monday December 4, 2006.
• Live telephone interview with Mike Adams of Radio Show Agritalk on Wednesday, November 29, 2006.
• Brownfield Ag News For America.  Managing For Profit "Giant Soybeans."  November 10, 2006.

Professional Activities

Elected to 3-year terms as a member of the Soybean Crop Germplasm Committee, 1991 and 1994, and as Chairman in 1995 - 1996 and 1996 - 1997.

Selected for membership on the National Soybean Variety Review Board, 1997.

Selected to serve as advisor to the 1890 Universities Cooperative Research Program RR-5 "Improvement of Soybean and Vegetable Soybeans for Stress Tolerance and Biological Efficiency".

Recent Publications

Nayigihugu, V., D.W. Kellogg, D.E. Longer, Z.B. Johnson, K.A. Anschutz, and T.E. Devine. 2002. Performance and Ensiling Characteristics of Tall-Growing Soybean Lines Used for Silage. The Professional Animal Scientist 18: 85-89.

Sheaffer, C.C., J.H. Orf, T.E. Devine, and J.G Jewett. 2001. Yield and Quality of Forage Soybeans. Agronomy Journal 93: 99-106.

Matthews, B.F., T.E. Devine, J.M. Weisemann, H.S. Beard, K.S. Lewers, M.H. MacDonald, Y.B. Park, R. Maiti, J.J. Lin, J. Kuo, M.J. Pedroni, P.B. Cregan, and J.A. Saunders. 2001. Incorporation of Sequenced cDNA and Genomic Markers into the Soybean Genetic Map. Crop Science 41: 516-521.

Brown, H.J., J.M. Koivisto, G.P.F. Lane, R.H. Phipps, and T.E. Devine. 2001. First year evaluation of forage soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in theUnited Kingdom. p. 290-293. In: T. Terrill (ed.) Proc. Am. Forage and Grassl. Council, April 21-25, 2001, Springdale, AR. AFGC, Georgetown, TX. (Proceedings)

Kuykendall, L.D., F.M. Hashem, G.R. Bauchan, T.E. Devine and R.B. Dadson. 1999. Symbiotic competence of sinorhizobium fredii on twenty alfalfa cultivars of diverse dormancy. Symbiosis. p. 1-16.

Redfearn, D.D., D.R. Buxton and T.E. Devine. Sorghum intercropping effect on yield, morphology, and quality of forage soybean. Crop Science. v. 39(5): 1380-1384.

Marr, D.L., T.E. Devine and M.A. Parker. 1997. Nodulation restrictive genotypes of Glycine and Amphicarpaea: a comparative analysis. Plant and Soil. 189: 181-188.

Hashem, F.M., L.D. Kuykendall, E. E.-Fadly and T.E. Devine. 1997. Strains of Rhizobium fredii effectively nodulate and efficiently fix nitrogen with Medicago sativa and Glycine max. Symbiosis 22: 255-264.

Abdul-Baki, A., R.D. Morse, T.E. Devine and J.R. Teasdale. 1997. Broccoli production in forage soybean and foxtail millet cover crop mulches. Hort Science 32.

Devine, T.E. and L.D. Kuykendall. 1996. Host genetic control of symbiosis in soybean (Glycine max L.). Plant and Soil. 186: 173-187.