A soybean verification program was initiated in 1994 to verify research by the LSU AgCenter at the farm level. Fields are selected statewide, including various cropping systems, and are monitored weekly. Data are collected throughout the growing season, and cooperators follow LSU AgCenter recommendations until harvest. Historically, LSRVP fields outyield the statewide average by 12 bushels per acre.

Since 2005, the Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board has provided monies for an AgCenter Communications project to develop a research report highlighting board-funded projects. This publication serves as a report to soybean and small grain producers about the results from LSU AgCenter projects that their check-off dollars funded. It also serves as a marketing piece for the board and grain industry. This is the report for 2009.

Each year the LSU AgCenter tests commercial soybean varieties that are entered in yield tests by private seed companies. This publication provides information about results of those tests at various locations across the state. For best results using this guide, refer to the tables for variety yield results and pick the location fitting your situation -- or if your farm does not fit any location, choose varieties that performed well at multiple locations. (PDF Format Only)

The Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board funded these projects in various LSU AgCenter departments, research stations and regions during the past year. Projects list the researcher leaders, total funding and the portions allocated from soybean, corn/wheat or grain sorghum checkoff funds.

LSU AgCenter faculty members had five projects funded by the new United Sorghum Checkoff Program during its first year of operation.The new program was established in 2008 under the authority of the Commodity Promotion, Research and Information Act of 1996 and began collecting checkoff dollars in July 2008. It is designed to use producers’ checkoff dollars to boost profits for sorghum growers with new market development, research and education.

Dr. Blair Buckley, associate professor for the LSU AgCenter, focuses on breeding soybeans to develop varieties with resistance to Cercospora leaf blight. Disease-resistant varieties reduce the need for fungicide applications.

Dr. Daniel Stephenson is conducting research trials with feed grains and soybeans at the LSU AgCenter’s Dean Lee Research and Extension Center in Alexandria and its Red River Research Station in Bossier City.

A new research program in the LSU AgCenter is using optical sensors to help corn growers improve nitrogen efficiency by matching fertilizer rates to the yield potential of the crop and available nitrogen in the soil.

The 2009 season is the second year of a research project attempting to provide a better understanding of the complex symptoms associated with soybean plants that appear to mature abnormally.Known as “green bean syndrome” by some and “green stem” by others, the phenomenon has become relatively common across Louisiana

Field corn and small grains represent substantial acreage and contribute significant crop value to agriculture in Louisiana – with more than 1 million acres and $553 million in value for 2008.

The latest challenge on the horizon for wheat breeding is developing resistance to fusarium head blight or scab, according to Dr. Steve Harrison, the LSU AgCenter’s small grains breeder.

Glyphosate – the active ingredient in Roundup – is convenient, easy-to-use and cost-effective. Repeated use likely has led to glyphosate-resistant weeds, however, according to Jim Griffin, a weed scientist with the LSU AgCenter.

LSU AgCenter researchers are looking at disease resistance in corn and wheat varieties and working to determine how fungicide timing and use may affect disease development.

Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board Members

LSU AgCenter scientists are taking aim at the diverse mix of insect pests southern soybean producers have traditionally faced as well as new and resurging pests.

Dr. Jack Losso’s research could be considered insightful. This LSU AgCenter food scientist is working with lutein, an antioxidant that can delay vision loss in older individuals or people with diabetes.

An LSU AgCenter demonstration program is a proving ground for new varieties of soybeans, corn and grain sorghum. Planting several varieties side by side lets farmers compare disease susceptibility, yields, insect resistance and other characteristics.

LSU AgCenter researchers are attacking the problem of aflatoxin on several fronts.Aflatoxin, a chemical produced by mold inside corn kernels, is harmful to livestock and is considered a cancer-causing agent.

LSU AgCenter researchers are taking a variety of approaches to combat soybean diseases.

The Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board directs your checkoff dollars to research projects that address Louisiana’s most important production issues. The board administers Louisiana’s wheat and corn checkoff and the national checkoffs on soybeans and sorghum for Louisiana. Whether obtained through national or state checkoff programs, your checkoff dollars make it possible to fund continuing research that addresses issues specific to Louisiana conditions.

This publication serves as the 2009 report to soybean and small grain producers about the results from LSU AgCenter projects that their check-off dollars funded. It also serves as a marketing piece for the board and grain industry.

2009 Extension Demonstrations

This page contains the soybean performance trials research summaries for the year 2008.

The Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board focuses your checkoff dollars on projects that address Louisiana’s most important production and marketing issues.

This publication serves as a report to soybean and small grain producers about the results from LSU AgCenter projects that their check-off dollars funded. It also serves as a marketing piece for the board and grain industry.

Late-fall to early-winter herbicide application is a new approach to managing winter weeds in Louisiana.

The two most important corn borer pests are the sugarcane borer and the southwestern corn borer.

Dr. Zhimin Xu is taking what was a relatively useless product and making it a healthful preservative. Defatted soy flour is a byproduct of producing vegetable oil from soybeans, and until now, it was used only as animal feed – and only in some cases.

The Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board funded these projects in various LSU AgCenter departments, research stations and regions during the past year. Projects list researchers, total funding and the portions allocated from soybean funding or feed grain funding.

Getting pesticides to the intended target is the goal of Dr. Roberto Barbosa, LSU AgCenter assistant professor of agricultural and biological engineering.

One of the main focuses of the LSU AgCenter’s soybean breeding program is to develop soybean varieties with resistance to Cercospora leaf blight.

Monitoring programs and educational efforts from the LSU AgCenter are among an array of factors that have kept Asian soybean rust from inflicting major harm on the state’s crop.

Since the Louisiana Soybean Research and Verification Program began in 1994, soybean farmers have been increasing yields and profits by following the recommended practices of the LSU AgCenter.During the 14 years of the program, more than 120 producers in 20 parishes have participated in helping to verify the LSU AgCenter’s research results and recommendations in their fields. In turn, the fields in the program have averaged yields of 43.5 bushels of soybeans per acre while the state average is

With dry conditions this season, ways to combat aflatoxin in corn are taking on huge significance.LSU AgCenter plant breeder Dr. Steve Moore continues to look for ways to combat aflatoxin in corn, especially in evaluating lines for resistance.

LSU AgCenter researchers continue their quest for short-term and long-term solutions in the battle with soybean diseases – particularly Asian soybean rust.

Fertilizer recommendations for Louisiana crops are being improved with the adoption of new soil testing methods by the LSU AgCenter’s soils lab, according to Dr. Jim Wang.

Louisiana soybean growers have become increasingly interested in early planting, and LSU AgCenter researchers have been evaluating how different cultural practices affect soybean performance.

LSU AgCenter researchers are using a multidisciplinary approach to study soybean green plant problems across Louisiana.

LSU AgCenter personnel at the Dean Lee Research Station are studying raised-bed planting of a double crop of wheat and soybeans.

Last year the state’s farmers harvested 228,000 acres of wheat, up from 110,000 acres in 2006. For 2008, the total increased to approximately 400,000 acres, according to LSU AgCenter wheat breeder Dr. Steve Harrison.

This page contains the faculty and staff information on those working in soybeans.

This guide can be used to aid in the identification of soybean insects in Louisiana.

Several images show the identifying markings of the Redbanded Stink Bug and comparisons to other stink bugs.

Adults are 10-12 mm and brilliant green, but as they get older, they may appear more yellow. Adults normally have two stripes across the back of the thorax, one yellow and one dark red to purple or even black .

This publication serves as a report to soybean and small grain producers about the results from LSU AgCenter projects that their check-off dollars funded. The continuation of this project will help build producer, industry and stakeholder awareness and support of board activities.

This guide for 2009 contains suggestions for management of the most important or more prevalent diseases of Louisiana plants. It includes information on fungicides, bactericides and nematicides, as well as safety precautions for using them.

Provides a list of plant hosts for Asian Soybean Rust.

Symptoms of soybean rust appear identical regardless if they are caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi or Phakopsora meibomiae. Host plants infected with soybean rust first exhibit small lesions that gradually increase in size and turn from gray to tan or brown. They become polygonally shaped restricted by leaf veins, and may eventually reach 2 to 3 square millimeters.

Images identifiying Asian Soybean Rust

More images to help with the identification of Asian soybean rust

This guide includes helpful information on herbicides and weed control with detailed suggestions for aquatics, commercial nursery stock, field crops, forestry, fruit crops, home gardens, lawns and many other Louisiana crops. It includes information on different types of herbicide registrations, as well as information on herbicide labels and restricted uses. Also included are sprayer calibration techniques, suggestions for reducing herbicide drift and a guide to proper spray tip selection.

This 2009 guide was compiled by LSU AgCenter experts and includes regulations, precautions and suggestions for pest control in Louisiana. Detailed topics include drift of pesticides, hazards of pesticides to beneficial insects and wildlife, phytotoxicity and using beneficial insects to control pest populations. A section on organic gardening also is included.

A bacterial (rust-like) disease on kudzu was found on May 18 in Madison Parish. These pictures should help you identify the differences between this disease and rust. The water-soaked lesions are not usually present in the field, which causes this to look more like rust.

LSU AgCenter scientists are launching a series of research projects in 2005 to learn what they can about Asian soybean rust and how this potentially devastating disease will develop in Louisiana.

2009 recomended controls and thresholds for soybean insect pests. Brief biological sketches of soybean insect pests included. Soybeans can be damaged by insects any time from plant emergence until they get near to the harvest in Louisiana. Many kinds of insects feed on leaves, stems, roots, nodules and pods, but only a few require control with insecticides. (PDF Fomat Only)

Soybean County Agents by Parish

Describes the potential impact on soybean profits of late-planted soybeans infested with the Red-Banded Stink Bug.

This report presents estimates of projected production costs for the production of cotton, soybeans, corn, grain sorghum and wheat in Northeast Louisiana for the 2009 crop year.

This report presents estimates of projected production costs for the production of cotton, soybeans, corn, grain sorghum and wheat in the Red River and central areas of Louisiana for the 2009 crop year.

The southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.), and the brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say), are common pests in Louisiana agricultural crops including cotton, soybeans, corn and grain sorghum. The objective of this presentation is to point out some visual differences between the two species which are helpful for early field detection.

A brief PowerPoint presentation that shows the locations where the stink bugs have been found and compares indentifying characteristics with other stink bugs.

Asian soybean rust ( Phakopsora pachyrhizi ) was found for the first time in the United States in Louisiana. While doing a routine inspection of a soybean production field at the LSU AgCenter’s Ben Hur Research Farm, Dr. Ray Schneider, plant pathologist, found what he suspected as Asian soybean rust.

In managing soybean rust, the use of “sentinel plots” plays a large role in providing information on the spread of the disease. The objective of sentinel plots is to have a crop in the field well ahead of the traditional crop, thus acting as a “trap” crop for the spores. If rust is detected in the sentinel plots, this will allow proper production decisions on a regional and statewide basis to be made accordingly.

Potential Louisiana Sentinel Plots are indicated by red triangles.

The purpose of this plan is to outline actions for the pre- and post-confirmation of the establishment of Asian soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) in the United States and Louisiana.

(Distributed 02/17/09) Asian soybean rust has been found in Louisiana kudzu in Washington, East Baton Rouge, Tangipahoa, Iberia and St. Mary parishes, but weather conditions will be the telling factor for the disease outlook in 2009, according to LSU AgCenter plant pathologist Dr. Boyd Padgett.

This page contains the soybean performance trials research summaries for the year 2006.

Click on the file to download the form.

This page contains the 2006 extension demonstration data.

This page contains the 2008 extension demonstration data.

This page contains the 2005 extension demonstration data.

This page contains the soybean performance trials research summaries for the year 2005

This eight-page tabloid-style report includes 14 articles about the latest in research and extension programs of the LSU AgCenter funded in part through the Louisiana Soybean and Grain Research and Promotion Board. Articles include the comeback of wheat production in the state, the multi-disciplinary approach to the “green bean syndrome” in soybeans, new methods for soil tests and the latest on Asian soybean rust.

(Distributed 09/09/08) WHITEVILLE – Farmer Jeffrey Sylvester gazed over a field that looked more suited for water-skiing than growing rice. “There’s a rice crop under that water,” he said. “That’s all standing rice.”

(Distributed 1/4/08) Soybean producers and agribusiness personnel will gather on Jan. 17 near Alexandria to discuss the latest developments in technology for growing soybeans profitably.

A description of how biomass is being used for energy in Louisiana with an emphasis on the potential for expansion in the industry. (Revised 11/06)

Louisiana soybean growers have harvested about 60 percent of this year's crop. The dry weather early in the season delayed planting for some growers and had others worried about the condition of the crops, but LSU AgCenter soybean specialist Dr. David Lanclos says the harvest so far is turning out better than expected. (Runtime: 60 seconds)

Louisiana farmers and forest producers could find a silver lining in the cloud of rising fuel prices – with the development of new fuels from crops they already grow or could grow.

Irrigation ponds can irrigate fields during the summer without resorting to pumping water from wells.

(Distributed03/27/03) Rice planting has begun in South Louisiana, but many farmers in the central and northern parts of the state are looking for options because they’ve been delayed by persistent rains and wet field conditions. That’s where the state’s aerial applicators – pilots with specially equipped aircraft – come in. And many of those aerial applicators take advantage of LSU AgCenter services that help them check their equipment.

The trouble with Asian soybean rust, the disease most feared by soybean farmers, is that the spores that cause it can blow into a field from anywhere, anytime. And Hurricane Dennis could bring in a new wave from South America.

LSU AgCenter experts are preparing to monitor for Asian soybean rust in Louisiana this year as the fungus threatens to enter the state from a new direction – the west. The rust disease, which is spread by windborne spores, is feared because it’s hard to detect until it’s too late to do anything to stop it.

In Louisiana, southern green stink bugs and brown stink bugs (Figures 1, 2 and 3) have become common pests of corn, cotton, grain sorghum, soybean and wheat. In corn, an infestation can cause injury to the plant from seedling emergence through ear formation and grain development. Seedlings punctured by stink bugs exhibit small holes surrounded by localized dead tissue.