[Editors: Please use this corrected version of the story that changes the headline from transgenic soybean to nontransgenic soybean. We apologize for the inconvenience.]

Cavalier, a conventional nontransgenic soybean variety, has been developed and released by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station, according to Al Schneiter, North Dakota State University Department of Plant Sciences chair.

Cavalier is expected to replace acreage of Jim and Traill, which also are NDSU releases.

Cavalier has good lodging resistance and matures a day later than Jim and three days earlier than Traill, according to Ted Helms, leader of the NDSU soybean breeding program.

“Averaged across 33 trials conducted in North Dakota from 2004 through 2007, Cavalier yielded 3 percent more than Jim and 2 percent more than Traill,” Helms says. “Cavalier has a slightly lower protein content and slightly higher oil content than Jim. Cavalier has a yellow hila, which is desirable for a conventional soybean variety. Cavalier is a 00.7 maturity cultivar.”

Cavalier has moderate resistance to iron deficiency chlorosis, according to Jay Goos, NDSU Soil Science Department soil scientist.

Cavalier also has resistance to Phytophthora root rot Race 6, according to Berlin Nelson, NDSU Department of Plant Pathology plant pathologist.

Cavalier is named after Cavalier County in northeastern North Dakota.

It will be allocated through the County Crop Improvement and Seed Association this 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.

The North Dakota Soybean Council provided some of the funding for the development of Cavalier.

NDSU Agriculture Communication