Although Roundup Ready varieties continue to dominate the soybean market, new varieties of conventional, non-GMO soybeans are still being developed and marketed. There are several reasons why some producers are interested in conventional varieties, including:
1. Seed is less expensive than seed of Roundup Ready varieties.
2. It may be possible to replant seed of conventional varieties, subject to licensing agreements.
3. Some buyers are willing to pay a premium for non-GMO soybeans.
Whatever the reason, conventional soybean varieties are available but may take some effort to locate. K-State has several conventional soybean varieties under production including: KS4313N, KS4607, KS4910sp, KS5004N, and KS5005sp. KS4313N (maturity group 4) and KS5004N (maturity group 5) are high-yielding varieties for the commodity market. The other K-lines are special purpose (large seed, high protein) varieties better suited to identity-preserved markets. K-State is also working towards the release of a new maturity group 4, conventional, STS-resistant soybean variety this year.
The seed source for the K-State releases would be the private seed companies that have licensed each particular variety. To find out which seed producers currently have licenses for these varieties, contact K-State Foundation Seed at 785-532-6115, http://www.agronomy.k-state.edu/services/ks-foundation-seed/
Producers interested in producing seed to be sold or used for planting, or interested in new releases should also contact the K-State Foundation Seed program. Depending upon the variety grown, producers may need to sign a license agreement which specifies how the varieties can be used and whether a royalty is owed to K-State.
Perhaps the first place to inquire about seed of conventional varieties would be your current seed supplier. In addition to the option of calling K-State Foundation Seed for information about seed producers who have a license for K-State releases, here are a few public or private contacts that develop or sell maturity groups 3, 4, or 5 conventional soybean varieties:
Iowa State University
www.cad.iastate.edu
515-294-5045
Missouri public varieties
www.moseed.org
573-449-0586
University of Arkansas Foundation Seed
870-673-5045
University of Nebraska
www.huskergenetics.unl.edu
402-624-8020
DeLange Seed
Girard, Kansas
www.delangeseed.com
800-962-5429
Emerge Genetics
West Des Moines, Iowa
www.emergegenetics.com
515-314-1003
NeCo Seed
Garden City, Missouri
www.necoseed.com
816-862-8203
Taylor Seed Farms
White Cloud, Kansas
www.taylorseedfarms.com
800-742-7473
Many of these varieties would be available to producers for seed production under a licensing agreement. Some would not come with a license.
An examination of soybean yield trends in Kansas of maturity group 3 varieties released since 1923 showed yield increases of both public and private varieties over time (see graph below). Most of the public entries in these trials were conventional varieties.
Source: Bill Schapaugh, K-State Research and Extension
To better evaluate variety adaptation for specific locations, K-State and other Midwestern universities do include some conventional soybean varieties in their state soybean performance tests. Most of these tests, including those at K-State, use a few Roundup Ready check varieties at each location for comparison purposes. A few states simply include conventional varieties with the entire group of Roundup Ready or Liberty Link varieties entered in the tests. Other states that have included conventional varieties in their soybean performance tests include Missouri, Arkansas, and Iowa.
Yield results of the 2015 K-State Conventional Soybean Performance Tests are in the table below.
|
2015 K-State Conventional Soybean Performance Tests |
||||||
|
|
Yield (bu/acre) |
|||||
|
Brand |
Entry |
Franklin Co. MG III-IV |
Franklin Co. MG IV-V |
Labette Co. MG III-IV |
Labette Co. MG IV-V |
Republic Co. |
|
Roundup Ready checks |
||||||
|
Asgrow |
AG3432 |
55 |
-- |
59 |
-- |
64 |
|
Asgrow |
AG4232 |
58 |
-- |
60 |
-- |
56 |
|
Asgrow |
AG5335 |
-- |
58 |
-- |
56 |
-- |
|
Kansas AES |
K4313NRR |
-- |
-- |
-- |
-- |
60 |
|
Pioneer |
P35T58R |
-- |
-- |
56 |
-- |
67 |
|
Pioneer |
P39T67R |
-- |
-- |
58 |
-- |
58 |
|
Pioneer |
49T80R |
-- |
63 |
-- |
56 |
-- |
|
Conventional varieties |
||||||
|
Arkansas |
Osage |
-- |
58 |
-- |
58 |
-- |
|
Arkansas |
R09-1589 |
-- |
50 |
-- |
50 |
-- |
|
Arkansas |
R09-430 |
-- |
59 |
-- |
60 |
-- |
|
Arkansas |
UA 5014C |
-- |
56 |
-- |
55 |
-- |
|
Arkansas |
UA 5213C |
-- |
50 |
-- |
61 |
-- |
|
Arkansas |
UA 5612C |
-- |
44 |
-- |
51 |
-- |
|
Arkansas |
UA 5814HP |
-- |
36 |
-- |
50 |
-- |
|
Emerge Genetics |
e3692s |
51 |
-- |
57 |
-- |
59 |
|
Emerge Genetics |
e4310s |
53 |
-- |
55 |
-- |
50 |
|
Emerge Genetics |
e4993s |
-- |
-- |
-- |
60 |
-- |
|
Emerge Genetics |
e5110 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
56 |
-- |
|
Iowa AES |
IA3023 |
51 |
-- |
47 |
-- |
64 |
|
Iowa AES |
IA4004 |
53 |
-- |
47 |
-- |
64 |
|
Kansas AES |
K10-8556 |
51 |
-- |
51 |
-- |
64 |
|
Kansas AES |
K11-2363B |
56 |
-- |
60 |
-- |
66 |
|
Kansas AES |
K11-2363T |
56 |
-- |
58 |
-- |
66 |
|
Kansas AES |
K12-1348 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
56 |
-- |
|
Kansas AES |
K12-1355 |
-- |
-- |
-- |
48 |
-- |
|
Kansas AES |
K12-1575 |
54 |
-- |
52 |
-- |
66 |
|
Kansas AES |
K12-2333 |
55 |
-- |
62 |
-- |
56 |
|
Kansas AES |
KS5004N |
-- |
-- |
-- |
53 |
-- |
|
Kansas AES |
KS5502N |
-- |
-- |
-- |
53 |
-- |
|
LSD (0.10) |
|
5 |
5.5 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
While the number of conventional varieties is limited, with some investigation, it is possible for a producer to find a seed source of a conventional soybean variety that should be competitive in performance in Kansas environments.
-- Bill Schapaugh, Soybean Breeder
wts@ksu.edu
Tags: