OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY soybean breeder Steve St. Martin stands among 2,000 soybean plots in a field just outside of Columbus, Ohio.

Some plants are lying on the ground, while others are growing tall. Some vary in height and color. Some are ready to be harvested, while others have yet to drop their leaves.

Eyeing the characteristics of soybean plants is the first step in the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center's soybean breeding program — the goal of which is to research and release soybean varieties that keep Ohio's soybean industry thriving.

"One of the goals is to develop soybean varieties that growers in the state can use," said St. Martin, project leader. "The other thing we are trying to do is conduct scientific studies to support soybean breeding in general."

St. Martin analyzes the field performance of soybean varieties from all over the world that carry the genes for a variety of characteristics, including disease-resistance, maturity date, yield potential, and protein and oil content.

When a plant with a gene of interest is found to perform well under Ohio's growing conditions, the breeding program shifts to laboratory research to identify the exact location of the gene on the DNA strand for future genetic crossing in plants.

OARDC plant pathologist Anne Dorrance heads up molecular genetics studies, where molecular markers are used to identify plant genes that carry potential resistance to a variety of soybean diseases, such as Phytophthora and Sclerotinia.

"To assist the breeders with marker-assisted selection, we need to get markers as close to the trait of interest as possible. That can expedite getting a gene out into varieties so that growers can use it," said Dorrance. "The next phase, to make sure a gene is effective against disease, is to inoculate that plant introduction to see if we can kill it. That will show whether or not the gene will work."

Once a promising gene is identified, OARDC soybean breeder Ron Fioritto jumps in to incorporate the gene into commercial soybean varieties. His goal is to find that diamond in the rough — a field- or food-grade soybean variety that not only exhibits insect and disease resistance but also maintains other important characteristics, such as yield, protein content, seed size and field performance.

"Variety development involves making crosses of parent plants and testing generation after generation to see if the characteristics we are testing for hold up," said Fioritto. "What makes the work so time-consuming is that we'll have to test promising crosses for 10 to 12 years before a farmer can put a potential new variety in his field."

Hours spent in the lab screening for promising genes, tedious data collecting and record keeping, and backbreaking hand harvest of plants in the field would not be considered a dream job by many.

But to make a difference in Ohio's soybean industry is what OARDC's soybean breeders live for, and when they hit the mark on an improved food-grade variety or discover a gene with potential disease resistance, years of sweat and toil can be very rewarding.

A researcher is shown inoculating a soybean plant with Phytophthora, a root rot disease that can devastate Ohio soybean fields. Through inoculation, researchers can determine which varieties carry resistance genes.

Soybean breeder Steve St. Martin heads the OARDC soybean breeding program. The program is designed to provide Ohio farmers with new and improved commercial and food-grade soybean varieties.

Looking for that diamond in the rough, OARDC soybean breeder Ron Fioritto crosses soybean plants carrying a potential new gene to develop a useable variety for growers.

Shown above are the elements of testing soybeans for disease-resistance. A little Phytophthora and newly developed soybean plants are needed to test varieties for resistant genes.

OARDC plant pathologist Anne Dorrance assists breeders with gene selection by identifying its location on the DNA strand through the use of molecular markers