To suit Australian conditions
Australian farmers need varieties of soybeans that grow well in our conditions. They also need to have characteristics that appeal to international markets. If this can be achieved, local producers could supply northern hemisphere producers during their winter off-season.
CSIRO Plant Industry's soybean breeding program has bred a variety that increases the yield and quality of tofu, and produces higher yields of soymilk. Different varieties are bred for regional applications in consultation with regional soybean associations, grain merchants and Australian and Japanese food processors.
Soybeans are currently grown either under irrigation (for inland areas) or on the coast, where rainfall is higher. Drought-tolerant soybeans could be grown reliably in more areas if they were less sensitive to fluctuations in rain or irrigation water availability.
Researchers have identified drought tolerance traits in some of Australia’s 20 native soybean species. They hope to incorporate drought tolerance into the cultivated soybean to create new, hardier varieties.
Gene technology speeds up this development process with the use of 'molecular markers' that locate and flag these genes. Individual plants with the drought tolerance gene can then be easily identified without having to grow the plant under drought conditions.