In this special cross-over episode, CropCast hosts Dave Nicolai and Seth Naeve visit with three talented graduate students who work on Soybean Research Center related projects.  Mary Jane (Mjay) Espina is a PhD student with Aaron Lorenz and Bob Stupar.  Mjay is focused on Iron Deficiency Chlorosis (IDC).  She is primarily interested in identifying the source(s) of resistance to IDC within soybean’s genome.  She hopes that understanding the genetics behind IDC will help her and us learn more about the physiology driving this disorder.  Alina Smolskaya is an MS student who is also advised by Drs. Stupar and Lorenz.  She is working on the genetics of very interesting soybean traits related to leaf shape and seed number per pod.  Leaf shape can play a role in whole plant photosynthesis and therefore productivity, and seeds per pod is an important yield component.  Master’s student Carlos Sanchez also joined the discussion.  Carlos is advised by Seth Naeve and his work has been conducted at a unique drainage and tillage research site near Wells, MN.  Carlos is interested in the environmental drivers behind yield benefits from drainage and has noted that very dry years can reduce or reverse benefits to artificial drainage.  Carlos is also looking at interactive effects of tillage, residue levels, soybean populations, seed treatments, and nitrogen carryover on drainage effects.

Have a listen to this special edition of MN CropCast.  You will appreciate the passion of these young scientists.

University of Minnesota Soybean Research Center – https://soybeanresearchcenter.umn.edu/

Stupar Lab webpage. – https://stuparlab.cfans.umn.edu/

Soybean Extension webpage – www.soybeans.umn.edu