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Rust-resistant soybean

14 October 2009 754 views No Comment

TGX1835-10e, a rust-resistant soybean. Photo by IITA

TGX1835-10e, a rust-resistant soybean. Photo by IITA

A new soybean variety that is resistant to the deadly Asian soybean rust—a fungal disease that could wipe out as much as 80% of infested crops—has been released. The rust-resistant soybean is the first of its kind to be made available for cultivation in West and Central Africa and has the potential of increasing soybean production in rust-prone areas of the region.

Tagged TGx 1835-10E, the variety was bred by scientists at IITA and further developed in collaboration with Nigeria’s National Cereal Research Institute (NCRI).

“The variety is high yielding, averaging 1.6 t/ha grain and 2.2 t/ha fodder in field trials in Nigeria,” says Olumide Shokalu, NCRI pathologist who conducted the trials. It is also early maturing, has good promiscuous nodulation, and resists pod shattering and other prevalent diseases.

“The variety can be used for direct cultivation in tropical Africa or as a source of resistance genes. It was previously released in Uganda through Makerere University, and has already shown excellent performance in trials carried out in Southern Africa, suggesting that it is a well-adapted variety,” says Hailu Tefera, IITA soybean breeder.

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