NDSU Releases Ashtabula Nontransgenic Soybean

Ashtabula, a conventional nontransgenic soybean variety, has been developed and released by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station. Ashtabula is not resistant to glyphosate and will be killed if glyphosate is sprayed on this cultivar.

Ashtabula has a high yield that is very competitive with private company Roundup Ready cultivars of similar maturity. It has good lodging resistance and early maturity.

Averaged across 24 trials conducted in North Dakota from 2005 through 2008, Ashtabula yielded 15 percent more than Walsh and 7 percent more than Barnes.

Ashtabula is lower yielding than Sheyenne, but is five days earlier in maturity.

“This means that Ashtabula will fill a need for a high-yielding soybean in areas that need a cultivar that is earlier in maturity than Sheyenne,” says Ted Helms, leader of the North Dakota State University soybean breeding project.

Ashtabula is a 0.4 maturity cultivar. It has a slightly lower protein content but slightly higher oil content than Traill. Ashtabula has a yellow hila, which is desirable for a conventional soybean variety.

Ashtabula is moderately resistant to iron-deficiency chlorosis and has the Rps6 gene for phytophthora root rot resistance. The Rps6 gene is superior to Rps1c and Rps1k genes because it confers resistance to races of phytophthora root rot that are common in the Red River Valley. Ashtabula is resistant to phytophthora root rot races 3, 4 and 25.

Ashtabula is named after Lake Ashtabula in Barnes County.

Ashtabula was allocated through the County Crop Improvement and Seed Association last spring. The NDSU Research Foundation will apply for plant variety protection with Title V. Research fees will be collected, as they have been for many years, with all NDSU soybean varieties.

Development of this variety was made possible through funds provided by the North Dakota Soybean Council.

NDSU Agriculture Communication