Project Number: 3611-22000-019-01
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Aug 01, 2007
End Date: Jun 30, 2012

Objective:
The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to enable collaboration on field and greenhouse research that will guide future approaches to the management of Asian soybean rust (SBR). The NFREC at Quincy, FL is a well-equipped facility in an excellent geographical location for conducting research on this disease. The objectives are (1) identification of soybean germplasm accessions with resistance to SBR; (2) development and evaluation of improved germplasm combining SBR resistance with good agronomic traits; (3) development of improved methods for assessing SBR resistance; (4) investigation of possible interactions between soybean genotypes and fungicide applications rates; and (5) evaluation of cultivars and breeding lines for tolerance to SBR (ie, ability to yield well in spite of susceptibility to the disease).

Approach:
Selected accessions from the USDA Soybean Germplasm Collection will be screened under greenhouse and field conditions to identify resistance to soybean rust. Assays to quantify partial resistance will be developed and refined. Rust-resistant accessions will be used as parents to develop populations to map genes related to resistance and to develop improved germplasm with rust resistance. Efficacy of reduced fungicide application rates in controlling rust on partially resistant soybean lines will be investigated.