ARS | Publication request: Registration of Bolivar Soybean

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: July 31, 2003
Publication Date: March 1, 2004
Citation: TYLER, J.M., AND YOUNG, L.D. 2004. REGISTRATION OF "BOLIVAR" SOYBEAN. CROP SCIENCE 44:690-691.

Interpretive Summary: Farmers in the mid-south region, especially in Mississippi, have been adopting the practice of planting soybean in early April. Much of the soybean acreage is grown on clay soils in this region where early planting can suppress plant growth that leads to reduced yields. Bolivar soybean was developed to maintain adequate plant height when planted in April on clay soils. Because of its increased plant growth when planted in this environment, Bolivar soybean yields four to six bushels per acre more than the popular public soybean variety Hutcheson. Thus, soybean growers in the mid-south region can increase their soybean yield by growing this variety.

Technical Abstract: Bolivar soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] was developed by the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. It was released in June 1999 because it maintains adequate plant height in early season plantings on clay soils, an environment that tends to suppress growth. It is a maturity group V cultivar which has shown high seed yield and adaptation to the clayey soils of the lower Mississippi River valley and east Mississippi. Bolivar was developed in the USDA ARS soybean breeding program at Stoneville, MS. It originated as an F4-plant selection from the cross A5979 × DP3589 and was tested as DT95-15091. This line was segregating for pubescence color. In October 1997, 100 tawny F7 plants were individually harvested, and F7:8 lines were grown in a winter nursery. Seeds from 78 uniformly tawny rows were bulk harvested and used for all 1998 and subsequent trials. Bolivar was evaluated in breeder plots in five environments in 1997, four in Mississippi and one in Tennessee. It yielded 423 kg/ha more the DP3588. In 1998, Bolivar was evaluated in 22 environments: breeder plots [5], Uniform Preliminary Group V [9], Mississippi state variety trials [6] and Arkansas state variety trials [2]. Averaged over these environments, Bolivar yielded 336 kg/ha more than Hutcheson. Bolivar averaged 275 kg/ha more than Hutcheson over four years of testing in Mississippi state variety trials (1998 to 2001). In Mississippi, Bolivar has averaged 29 centimeters taller in height and one day later in maturity than Hutcheson. Bolivar has purple flowers, tawny pubescence, tan pods at maturity, and dull yellow seeds with black hila. Seed protein and oil for Bolivar were 425 grams/kg and 197 grams/kg compared to 410 and 211 grams/kg for Hutcheson in the 1998 USDA Uniform tests. Bolivar is segregating for reaction to southern stem canker [caused by Diaporthe phaseolorum (Cooke & Ellis) Sacc. var. meridionalis F. A. Fernandez]. It is resistant to Race 3 of the soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines Ichinohe. Breeders seed will be maintained by USDA ARS. U.S. plant variety protection of Bolivar is pending (PVP certificate no. 200000051).