40 Years, 9 Billion People and One Earth

In the next 40 years, the world’s population is expected to grow by another 3 billion people, bringing the grand total to 9.7 billion, and with advances in technology over the last 100 years, people are living longer, healthier lives. Urban populations continue to increase and it will be up to farmers to feed all 9 billion mouths.

With arable land not expanding with the rising population, the task of at least doubling current yields to continue to feed the world will be a multi-step process. While the amount of harvested soybean acres has grown dramatically in the last 40 years, producing high yield, protein-rich soybeans to quench the hunger of a global consumer base is a daunting task.

Farmers, agronomists and scientists understand this challenge and are working diligently toward increasing soybean yields while considering the impact of a high-yield production system on our natural resources. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, they are striving to make this possible through soil conservation and utilizing research and new technology.

Farmers are conserving the precious soil in which they grow their soybeans in numerous ways, including nutrient management, conservation tillage and proper drainage. Many U.S. soybean farmers have completely eliminated plowing their fields, and many choose a no-till option. Conservation tillage has numerous benefits, including decreased soil erosion and wind erosion, decreased pesticide run-off, reduction in phosphorous contamination of surface waters and reduction in fuel use.

John Homes, Iowa State University (ISU) Extension field agronomist, says conservation tillage helps preserve soil and natural resources and prevents lost or reduced crop stands, and there are economical benefits as well.

"Prevention of severe soil erosion keeps valuable soil in the field," Holmes says. “Scientists have documented areas with severe erosion have less yield potential than identical areas that are not eroded. Soybean yield differences can be 5 to 6 bushels per acre; corn yield differences can be 10 to 15 bushels per acre. Fields with lower erosion rates are more sustainable as well. The physical loss of crops or reduction in stand due to erosion is also a consideration. Although gullies and severely eroded areas are usually 1 to 2 percent of a field, the losses do add up.”

Appropriate nutrient management is also important in conserving soil while improving yield. Proper soil nutrients allow soybean plants to achieve their genetic potential. Measuring nutrient supply and testing soils and plant tissues give farmers insight on how to grow the best possible crop while preventing harming the environment due to over-fertilization. Holmes says there are multiple resources for farmers to use to determine the best strategy when managing their fields.

“Farmers can improve nutrient management by keeping current on ISU fertility recommendations,” Holmes says. “Every year, ISU Extension hosts crop management meetings and provides information on their website. Local fertilizer dealerships keep up to date by working with ISU Crops Extension and ISU Extension field agronomists. ISU Crops Extension and its ag retail partners conduct a variety of research trials, such as soil fertility, with farmers or at the local university research farm.”

Along with current risk management of soybean pests and diseases, such as sudden death syndrome (SDS), soybean cyst nematode (SCN) and soybean aphids, new technology continues to emerge to reduce the occurrence of these potential yield robbers.

Matt Hughes, an Illinois Soybean Association director from Shirley, Ill., and director of the North Central Soybean Research Program (NCSRP), says much of the new technology is focused on being proactive and preventing issues before they occur.

"We are seeing new technology in all aspects of production," Hughes says. “We are using more advanced genetics, fungicides, micronutrients and precision farming equipment today compared to just five years ago. In the past, I think research was focused on defense and we continue to see advances in disease and pest tolerance, as well as new pesticides. In addition, I think the future is going to focus more on taking the offensive.”

Selecting the proper soybean varieties with agronomic traits that can withstand the constantly changing sources of stress the plants undergo while in the field is extremely important in order to achieve maximum yield. Hughes feels the ability to breed plants with the ability to resist pests and disease and withstand harsh growing conditions may be one of the most important advances in soybean technology.

“Perhaps the greatest technological advance has come in the area of plant breeding with better understanding of the soybean genome and better markers to accelerate yield potential,” he says. “The other big change has been in equipment that is allowing us to control traffic and create more favorable and efficient growing conditions.”

Hughes says NCSRP tries to focus on issues that are common to the 12-state area.

“Much of the research focuses on solutions that either include plant resistance, a pesticide product and/or management practices. We are developing recommendations for questions like how to manage SCN, when and how to apply fungicides and which varieties to plant that are tolerant to an existing field condition. We are helping to develop new varieties that are resistant, or at least more tolerant, to several insect pests and diseases. We are even discovering new potential pesticides that can be applied to control a pest or disease.”

Hughes feels that as the soybean industry progresses, more emphasis will be placed on selecting high-yield soybean varieties, and checkoff programs such as the Iowa Soybean Association, Illinois Soybean Association and NCSRP will continue to encourage research that promotes healthy, high-yielding soybeans for today and future generations.

“Throughout the soybean industry, I think you will see a bigger focus on yield, more specifically better markers for selecting higher yielding soybeans and NCSRP will certainly help with some of these and encourage this type of research. But NCSRP will also continue to focus on issues including SCN, soybean aphids, white mold, SDS and other issues that tend to impact the 12-state area more exclusively.”

Cliff Mulder, soybean farmer from Pella, Iowa, and director of the Iowa Soybean Association and NCSRP, says while increasing biotechnology research is important to improve yield, he feels the majority of research investments should be used in preventing and managing current soybean pests and diseases.

“Over the past decade, farmers have been faced with a multitude of invasive diseases and insects,” Mulder says. “Checkoff programs like NCSRP have increased their investment in research to better understand how farmer practices may impact these devastating diseases and pests, as well as help find solutions to increase yields and benefit soybean growers.”

To learn more about NCSRP, visit its website at www.ncsrp.com.