Ames, Iowa, USA
September 30, 2025
The Iowa Soybean Research Center’s (ISRC) Industry Advisory Council (IAC) met in September for its annual meeting to consider proposed soybean research ideas and to offer guidance on how to best invest $380,000 in available new funding.
Based on the IAC’s recommendations, the ISRC funded two new soybean research projects and provided an additional year of funding for two continuing projects, described below.
New Projects
Using AI to decode SCN effector functions to engineer durable soybean resistance
Thomas Baum, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, will investigate key effector functions of SCN and define the structural and dynamic features of effector interaction interfaces. This research hopes to reveal critical points of vulnerability within the SCN pathosystem, prioritize host genes for resistance breeding or gene editing and provide a foundation for developing targeted interventions to disrupt nematode infection at its earliest stages. Most importantly, however, this work will set in motion the much-needed shift from wet-lab bench work to powerful computational approaches to exploit the wealth of data generated at Iowa State with soybean checkoff support.
Optimizing cover crop termination timing to manage waterhemp and minimize shade avoidance in soybean
Wesley Everman, assistant professor of agronomy, will address the knowledge gap concerning how the timing of cereal rye termination affects early season light competition, reduces waterhemp germination, induces shade avoidance response in soybean and ultimately affects soybean yield. This research will provide clearer guidance on how long cereal rye can remain in the field to maximize soil health and weed suppression benefits without compromising soybean productivity.
Continued Projects
Soil amendment with biofuel industry co-products for improving soybean disease management
Leonor Leandro, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, will use the additional funding to transition from studying the impact of biochar and digestate amendments on soybean disease development and plant health in pasteurized soil to natural field soil that more closely resembles conditions in farm fields. Understanding the root causes of soybean sudden death syndrome severity is crucial in developing recommendations for farmers on soil amendment application rates and managing soybean disease. Initial research found that the effectiveness of biochar in disease suppression depends on the source material, with yellow pine biochar having the greatest potential to reduce seedling root rot caused by F. virguliforme.
Seed treatment effects on the seed, seedling and soil microbiome
Gary Munkvold, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology, will continue his investigation of seed treatments commonly used to protect seeds and roots from damaging pathogens. Specifically, he will study the reaction of soil microflora, including pathogens, to the presence of different seed treatment products on soybean seeds. Results will provide new information about the efficacy of chemical and biological seed treatment usage in soybean.
ISRC Research Day
Prior to the IAC meeting, the ISRC hosted an ISU Research Day, which featured select faculty who provided updates on ISRC-funded projects and a poster session featuring the research of ISU graduate students and research staff. Nineteen posters were on display for industry representatives, farmers and faculty to discuss and ask questions of the researchers. Poster topics focused on numerous soybean-related issues, other production crops such as maize and mung bean, soil health, herbicide-resistant weeds and crop pests and diseases. Seven of the research posters were from ISRC-funded projects.
About the Iowa Soybean Research Center and ISRC Industry Advisory Council
The Iowa Soybean Research Center was established in 2014 by Iowa State University in partnership with the Iowa Soybean Association. The center was founded to increase soybean production and profitability for Iowa farmers through coordinated research efforts involving Iowa State, the Iowa Soybean Association and the private sector. The ISRC is a formal collaboration of Iowa soybean farmers, industry partners, the Iowa Soybean Association and Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
The ISRC’s Industry Advisory Council is made up of three Iowa soybean farmers and 18 industry partner representatives and is led by council chair, Joe McClure, chief officer of Research Center for Farming Innovation for the Iowa Soybean Association. The ISRC is led by director Greg Tylka, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology and co-directors Mark Licht, associate professor of agronomy and Steve Whitham, professor of plant pathology, entomology and microbiology.
Current industry partners include Ag Ingenuity Partners, AMVAC, BASF, Bayer, Beck’s, BioConnect Iowa, Corteva Agriscience, GDM, Inari, Indigo Ag, Innvictis/Simplot, Meristem Crop Performance, Merschman Seeds, Nutrien, Peterson Genetics, Syngenta, Tidal Grow and Valent. Each industry partner has a representative on the center’s advisory council, who serve along with three farmer representatives. The council meets annually to provide feedback on what research should be funded by the center.
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