Genomics and Biotechnology Revolutionize Soybean Productivity and Quality

Over the past few years, we have heard a great deal about the benefits from research on the human genome. Similar efforts are underway to establish the order of genes in crop genomes, such as the soybean. Now that scientists have sequenced the DNA in the entire soybean genome and have developed sophisticated tools for gene discovery, we need to explain how these revelations will benefit consumers.

A step in that process was taken at the 100th Annual Meeting of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) in Orlando, FL, when the United Soybean Board (USB) sponsored the special Hot Topic symposium, How Genomics & Biotechnology are Revolutionizing Soybean Productivity & Quality. This symposium helped promote an awareness of the renaissance in soybean genetics that has come about by achieving the full DNA sequence of the soybean genome, and what that scientific breakthrough means to consumers, producers, processors and manufacturers. 

We typically expect advances in soybean genomics and biotechnology to enable quantum leaps in productivity and ability to protect against crop loss, which will undoubtedly happen. However, unlocking the secrets of the soybean genome has also accelerated the development of a number of quality traits that will soon become available in a wide range of food and feed products. This symposium demonstrated how that technology can meet the increasingly complex demands from both the food and feed industries.

Speakers included: Dr. Andrew Rude, International Trade Specialist, Office of Scientific & Technical Affairs, USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service; Drs. David Hyten and Michelle Graham, Research Geneticists, USDA, Agricultural Research Service; Dr. Monica Schmidt, Domain Member, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center; Dr. Roger Boerma, Distinguished Professor, Plant Breeding & Genomics, University of Georgia-Athens; Dr. Ernest Sanders, Senior Scientist, Monsanto; Dr. Steve Schnebly, Senior Research Manager, Pioneer/Dupont; and myself.

From my own perspective, it is gratifying to look back on how far soybean research has come in the past five years, and exciting to think about what the future holds. However, no matter how accomplished geneticists might become within their own realm, there always is room to improve, especially when it comes to interfacing with the beneficiaries of the technology they develop.

Understanding the perspectives of multiple links in the value chain helps ensure that the research strategies scientists undertake are relevant to stakeholder and consumer needs. In that regard, USB through the U.S. soybean checkoff, and QUALISOY^TM, a collaborative initiative representing all interests in the soybean value-chain, have been instrumental in supporting efforts to accelerate the development and commercialization of enhanced soybean traits.

USB keeps abreast of consumer attitudes and sponsors research to identify and address industry needs. For example, every two years, USB convenes the CONNECTIONS workshop to identify or reaffirm relevant issues for the soybean checkoff. Stakeholder input is then used to update the USB long-range strategic plan. The top three priorities from the CONNECTIONS workshop held in December 2008 focused on:  
• Enhanced soybean yield plus improved product quality,
• Soy products that help sustain domestic livestock production, and
• Market access for U.S. soybeans, primarily for biotech traits.

Soybean geneticists recognize the importance of these research objectives. But, more needs to be done to communicate the significance of these priorities to the public. I find that an analysis of USDA statistics is a good place to start. For example, the world soybean supply is on an upward trend, approaching the 300 million metric tons (MMT) level. The slope of this trend is accelerating at about 11 MMT/yr. Soybean use has tracked evenly with supply.

On average, the world consumes about 95 percent of the total soybean supply, leaving an average annual carryover sufficient for about 70 days, a rather small amount to share among the 6.8 billion people on Earth. The linear upward trend suggests that consumer demand for soybeans is limited by availability. Conversely, any disaster that might befall soybean production also could cause a severe food shortage. There are too many hungry people, as well as too many hungry pigs, chickens and fish in the world to let that happen.

Yield and land are the obvious factors that determine the volume of soybean production. World- wide, soybean harvested area has expanded at about 2.7 million hectares (four million acres) per year. However, soybean acreage in the U.S. appears to have reached capacity, and may decline depending on how much corn is planted. In addition, recent data indicates an apparent plateau in soybean production area abroad. This is another troublesome observation. It may be temporary, but what if it persists?

Using current rates calculated by simple regression analysis, world soybean production may reach about 330 MMT by 2020. Assuming an expansion from 240 to 325 million harvested acres of soybean by 2020, it should take an average 37.3 bushels per acre (bu/A) to achieve the 330 MMT goal. That’s only a five percent increase above the world yield average for 2008. However, if there is no further increase in land, average global soybean yields would have to increase from 36 to about 51 bu/A to produce 330 MMT. That’s roughly a 42 percent increase in soybean yield in the next decade, a very tall order for conventional or classical breeding methods.

Where can we expect this yield increase come from? Using the current trends for land and production, projections suggest the United States will get a little help from Brazil, Argentina and other soybean producing countries in improving soybean yields. At the current rate of gain, we can project an average yield of 46 bu/A for the United States by 2020.

However, that may not be enough. If there is no further increase in land worldwide, the U.S. average in 2020 would have to double (into the 80 bu/A range) to get to 330 MMT.  While some farmers in Missouri consistently raise 100+ bu/A soybeans, until yields that high are common place throughout the United States, economists will continue to question whether conventional breeding for yield will sustain long-term linear growth in world soybean production.

On the other hand, soybean research is in a very good position to meet this challenge, due to a better understanding of the soybean genome and superior biotechnologies. Strength in soybean genomics and biotechnology also enables a timely response to governmental actions that impact the U.S. soybean industry.

For example, the FDA Final Rule on Trans Fatty Acids in Nutrition Labeling brought attention to the level of trans fat in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, as a means to protect consumer health. Before this rule, about half of the soybean oil consumed in the U.S. was hydrogenated to some degree (approximately 8.5 billion lbs/year).  As a result of this mandatory requirement and the associated publicity on trans fat, total U.S. soybean oil consumption has dropped by 14 percent (approximately 2.5 billion lbs).

Fortunately, advances in genomics and biotechnology have helped the U.S. soybean industry address consumer interest in reducing dietary trans fat by aggressively developing and commercializing soybeans with enhanced compositional traits. Low-linolenic soybean oil was the first of these products to become commercially available.

History may show that the launch of low-linolenic soybean oil was a major turning point for the U.S. soybean industry. So far, low-linolenic soy has helped recapture about 1 billion pounds of the market lost to competing oils at a time when food companies were seeking alternatives to partially hydrogenated soybean oil. 

Low-linolenic soybean oil has also helped develop a production and market infrastructure that facilitates commercialization of other innovations in soybean quality. Thus, low-linolenic soy is a first step on the way to improved products for health-conscious consumers who will also be interested in the next generation of products such as soybean oil with mid- to high-oleic acid concentration.

High-oleic soybean oil is entering commercial production, soon to be followed by oil with a mid-oleic plus low-saturated fatty acid composition. Even without more legislation on hydrogenation, USDA data and QUALISOY estimates show that these modified soybean oils could achieve a 40 percent share of total domestic soybean oil consumption (estimated at approximately 23.5 billion pounds) by 2020, possibly more.

The second highest priority from the CONNECTIONS workshop focused on the U.S. livestock industry, since virtually all U.S. soybean meal is used in feed products. However, poultry, pig and aquaculture operations face a dilemma. Because of high feed costs, they are experimenting with distiller dried grains, synthetic amino acids and cheaper forms of carbohydrate and fat, but don’t wish to sacrifice meat quality in the process. In response, a school of thought is emerging in the animal sciences on the benefits of customized dietary intervention to preempt enteric disease, improve feeding efficiency, increase nutrient absorption and reduce mortality in livestock production.

This appears to be a mutually beneficial match for soybean genomic and biotechnologies on quality traits that help improve livestock performance, mitigate problems with livestock waste, decrease volatile emissions and help reduce non-medical use of antibiotics. Thereby, genetic advances in soybean quality should help sustain domestic livestock production with cost-effective ways to protect the environment and improve human and animal health.

The third priority from the CONNECTIONS workshop related primarily to market barriers to U.S. soybeans. Last year, 92 percent of the soybeans produced in the United States contained at least one biotech trait; the figure is 60 percent worldwide.

No change is expected in U.S. policy for biotech crops. Indeed, the U.S. Secretary of State is actively working for adoption of green gene technology in the European Union and elsewhere.

Progress is being made. The European Commission has approved four biotech soybean varieties for import and processing; four more approvals are pending. And, with record food prices in 58 countries experiencing economic recession, consumer surveys indicate a greater willingness to try biotech products that have higher perceived quality, especially if the price is favorable in comparison to organic or conventional products.

In summary, the ‘Genomics’ symposium at AOCS presented a positive outlook for the U.S. soybean industry, largely due to superior technology. Advances in soybean genomic and biotechnologies will help the United States lead global efforts to ensure an adequate supply of soybeans, provide producers and customers with cost-effective ways to adapt to relevant governmental rules and regulations, and help sustain robust domestic livestock and aquaculture markets for soybeans and soybean products. In addition, it appears that global perceptions of biotechnology are changing because health-conscious consumers want the highest quality foods for the best value. Consumer-driven markets will help ensure that the United States will remain the preferred global supplier of high-quality soybeans.