Iowa soybean producers are reaping benefits from research conducted at a soybean nursery located in Puerto Rico. Nursery Coordinator Sylvia Cianzio, said the project, funded by Iowa State and the Iowa Soybean Checkoff, has resulted in the development of over 40 new varieties of soybeans. These new and improved varieties can be grown successfully by producers in Iowa and throughout the Midwest, she said. Walter Fehr, ISU professor of agronomy, established the nursery in Puerto Rico in 1970 in an attempt to speed up the process of developing and improving soybean varieties available to Iowa producers. In the past, Fehr said, many varieties of soybeans with traits valuable to the food industry could not be grown in Iowa because of the climate. He said research could not be conducted in a greenhouse due to the large amount of plant material used. As an example of research results, Fehr said in 1992 he obtained seed for a certain cultivator of soybean from the Japanese. It was grown in the southern part of Japan where the temperature is much warmer than in Iowa. “This particular variety did not contain the usual `beanie’ flavor and after-taste of typical varieties grown in Iowa,” he said. He said this lack of flavor is a valuable trait to the food industry when making products such as soy milk. “Flavors like chocolate or vanilla can be added to the soy milk easier if the product doesn’t have off flavors,” he said. By cross-pollinating and growing multiple crops each year, Fehr said, researchers were able to introduce this trait into soybeans suited to Iowa’s climate. The development of this cultivator took four years, a process which would have taken much longer without the Puerto Rican nursery. “We had to take those soybeans from Japan and grow them in Puerto Rico initially to even start the program,” he said. “We couldn’t do it in Iowa because of the shorter growing season.” Cianzio, who works with three assistants, said while soil preparation is done by machine, much of the work is by hand. Typically two soybean crops are grown between October and May in the Puerto Rico location. “We use artificial lights in the field to extend the growing time,” Cianzio said. “The length of day in Iowa is longer than in Puerto Rico.” A third crop is grown in Iowa in the summer. “The final, and most important test is always done in Iowa because we cannot obtain reliable estimates from the nursery in Puerto Rico as to how a variety will perform in Iowa,” she said. Fehr said the Puerto Rico nursery covers about five acres. Researchers use a rotation method, so only one crop is grown per year on each section, he said.