Botany & Plant Pathology Agronomy Agricultural Research and Graduate Education

From the research frontier to the field: Purdue’s soybean community reimagined

Story by Lindsey Berebitsky
July 28, 2025

Not even a morning rainstorm could keep a crowd out of Purdue’s soybean fields on Thursday, July 17 at the 2025 Soybean Showcase. Among the young pods and pink blossoms, farmers, College of Agriculture students, alumni and faculty, local reporters, industry professionals and other curious agriculturists gathered at the Beck Agricultural Center to learn about the most recent, cutting-edge science protecting one of Indiana’s and America’s most important crops.

Soybeans, which contain all the essential amino acids humans need, are used in everything from miso and cooking oil to animal feed and biofuel. Indiana growers harvested 5.78 million acres of soybeans in 2024, adding $3.55 billion to the economy.

Ron Turco, associate dean of Purdue’s College of Agriculture and the director of Agriculture Research Graduate Education, called this event the “Renewal of the Purdue Soybean Community.”

Soybeans are playing more than a role in food and feed. Their potential in biofuels could have major impacts in Indiana, America and world economics. Purdue is uniquely situated to research this.”

- Ron Turco, associate dean of Purdue’s College of Agriculture and the director of Agriculture Research Graduate Education

Katy Rainey, a professor of agronomy and director of the Purdue Soybean Center, which organized the field day, said that while the increase in soybean yield has been steady, the seeds for producers have become more expensive.

For academia to help fill that gap and increase the productivity, nutritional content and resistance to adverse conditions and disease, Rainey said, “We need private partnerships now more than ever.”

The Purdue Soybean Showcase kickstarted those discussions and brought together all the sectors of agriculture to build partnerships and community. Posters and graduate students lined the hallways to explain their latest research findings to industry scientists and producers alike. More than 200 attendees visited the Agronomy Center for Research and Education fields in the morning, where they learned from Purdue faculty members who are leading soybean innovations. The day ended with presentations from faculty about the future of soybeans, economic predictions, translational genetics and remote sensing.

The presentations represent research projects funded by USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), Purdue Extension, research via the Smith-Lever and Hatch Act support, private company support, and Indiana’s Farmer-generated checkoff dollars, via multiple projects supported by the Indiana Soybean Alliance.

USDA-ARS scientists Adam Brock (left) and Guohong Cai from botany and plant pathology showcased their results in search for genetic resistance to seeding diseases and frogeye leaf spot. New professor of agronomy, Ignacio Ciampitti, introduced his project in collaboration with NASA to use publicly available data from satellites to determine the quality and protein differences across soybean fields. Katy Rainey, professor of agronomy and director of the Purdue Soybean Center, explained SOYGEN breeding and how UAV-imaging provides a new avenue for yield prediction. Agronomy professor Jianxin Ma (left) pointed out traits of the small wild soybeans to a curious farmer as they discussed how wild varieties might hold genetic answers for disease resistance. Weed scientists Tommy Butts (left) and Bryan Young from botany and plant pathology showcased the new technologies they're optimizing for weed control, like spray drones and the John Deere See & Spray. USDA-ARS scientist Karen Hudson from the department of agronomy updated growers about her lab's progress in identifying new alleles for profitable protein, oil and carbohydrate composition in soybean seed. Darcy Telenko, associate professor in botany and plant pathology, explained the symptoms of the emergent red crown rot disease in soybean and how her lab is doing fungicide and biological management trials. Michael Langemeier, professor of agricultural economics and director of the Center for Commercial Agriculture, sympathized with farmers’ struggles with the current low soybean prices, but said the U.S. would remain a major producer of the crop. Shaun Casteel, professor of agronomy and soybean Extension specialist, demonstrated how sulfur and harvest timing could affect the health of plants.

Faculty enjoyed the enthusiastic crowd and the questions they brought with them. Jianxin Ma, the Indiana Soybean Alliance endowed chair in soybean improvement and professor of agronomy, said, “The end user of our research is farmers. This is a great opportunity for us at Purdue to show what we are doing for productivity and environmental resilience.”

Pam Robertson and her brother Dave Gephart of Gephart Farms came together for different reasons. While both eager to learn and network with other agriculturists, Gephart was also getting credits for his private applicators license. Robertson, however, said she was returning to her roots by joining the Purdue soybean community.

It’s really interesting to hear the research behind how my dad and brother plant. My father used to go to the Purdue Agriculture Showcase years ago and found camaraderie within it, and now I’m following his legacy.”

- Pam Robertson, Gephart Farms

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