Year Awarded 2024
FFAR award amount $1,950,000
Total award amount $4,050,000
Location Washington, D.C.
Matching Funders Bayer, KWS, United Soybean Board
Grantee Institution Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, University of Regensburg, Radboud University, University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Zurich
Although hybrid seeds outperform their parents in yield, this advantage does not transfer to the hybrids’ offspring. Breeders must continually cross-pollinate to develop the next generation of hybrids. Because soybeans reproduce through self-pollination, the structure of the soybean flower makes cross-pollination difficult and expensive. The ApoSoy project seeks to develop a cost-effective hybrid soybean system through a process called apomixis, which creates seeds that are genetic clones of the parent.