Fargo, North Dakota
February 22, 2007
A transgenic
Roundup-resistant soybean variety, RG7008RR, 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.
RG7008RR will be marketed by the North
Dakota State University Research Foundation through
Roughrider Genetics.
Compared with RG6008RR (also released by
NDSU) during tests conducted from 2004 through 2006, the new
variety has a 1.8 bushel-per-acre yield advantage and is similar
in maturity date and lodging resistance, according to Ted Helms
leader of the NDSU soybean breeding project.
In other comparisons, plant height is
about 2 inches shorter, while protein and oil content are
similar. The new line has a purple flower; tawny, pubescence,
brown pod; intermediate seed coat luster; and a yellow hila.
Numbers are used to designate transgenic
varieties to avoid confusion with named nontransgenic types. RG
stands for Roughrider Genetics, 7 the year of release, 008 the
soybean maturity group, and RR designates resistance to the
herbicide Roundup.
The North Dakota Soybean Council
provided some of the funding for the development of RG70008RR. |
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