The soybean is the most important legume in the world with a current cultivation area of 135 million hectares. The demand for soybeans is also very high in Germany, but the area under cultivation is very small. Although this has increased significantly in recent years, the market is still far from being able to be served by domestic (or European) soybeans. By breeding new varieties, plant breeding can help to ensure that significantly more soybeans are cultivated in Germany in order to exploit the many positive aspects of legume cultivation to an even greater extent. For a further increase in area, the average yield in particular should continue to rise. This is possible through intensive breeding using modern breeding methods and the development of genetic resources.

The overall aim of the project is therefore to optimize plant breeding methods in order to produce improved soybean breeding material and make it available for agricultural practice.

The following goals are to be achieved in this project

• Creation of new soybean lines with improved protein yield
• Gaining insights into whether the recently developed method of phenomic selection can accelerate soybean breeding
• Gaining knowledge about the drought stress tolerance of early maturing soybeans and how this can be implemented in the breeding process.
• Establishment of a modern breeding scheme for soybeans.