Commercial Soybean Breeding Program

1
Commercial Soybean Breeding Program Winter 1
(GH) make 200 unique combinations of
parents Summer 1 (F) grow one plant (or few
plants) of each population harvest single plant
(or single pods from each of the multiple
plants) Winter 2 a grow 200 F2 populations
(spaced planting each population planted to a
single row, 16 ft) harvest 1 pod/plant and bulk
to produce the F3 generation. (plots are large
enough to produce at least 1000 seeds (500 to be
held in reserve)) How may plants are necessary
to produce 1000 seeds? Winter 2 b grow 200 to
500 plants of each of the 200 F3 populations.
Harvest plants individually to result in 40,000
(200 plants 200 F3 populations) to 100,000 (500
plants 200 populations) individual F4 plants,
and keep seed separate.
2
Commercial Soybean Breeding Program Summer 2
Evaluate F4 progeny rows, all 40 to 100,000 (may
be called families at this point) in single row
plots, unreplicated, at 1-2 locations Select
the best 5000 F4 rows based on yield data
(unreplicated!! but probably better than
visual selection!!) Save seed of these 5000
F5 generation Summer 3 Evaluate 5000 F5
families replicated trials at 3-5 loc. How many
seed do you need of each? Select the best 200
based on yield data save seed200 F6
gen. Winter Increase seed of these 200 at a
winter nursery
3
Commercial Soybean Breeding Program Summer 4
Yield trials of 200 F7 (now experimental lines)
at 20 - 40 locations How many seed do you
need? (see ppt notes) PLUS On-farm strip
tests (300 30-inch rows x 1000 ft each (300
.76-m rows x 304 m)) of these 200 experimental
lines at 20 to 100 locations How many seed
of each? Summer 5 Yield trials of advanced lines
at 20 - 50 locations PLUS On-farm strip tests
at 30 to 500 locations Fall Make decision on
release of 0 to 5 cultivars and begin PVP
process and seed increase process