Soybean Researchers Recognized for their Achievements
Soybean researchers Drs. Anne Dorrance, Randy Shoemaker and Rich Wilson were recently recognized for their achievements in soybean research.
Dr. Dorrance, an associate professor of plant pathology at Ohio State University, was awarded the American Soybean Association’s Special Meritorious Award. This award is given to those who have been recognized by their peers for outstanding achievement in research and Extension activities. Dr. Dorrance is a national leader in discovering and developing improved resistance of soybean to Phytophthora root and stem rot. Her recent discovery of a new gene will enable soybean producers to minimize loss from this disease. The current gene, Rps 1k, is rapidly becoming less effective against the disease.
Dr. Dorrance is also a national leader in the readiness of the United States to combat Asian Soybean Rust, an invasive pathogen that was discovered in the United States in November 2004. Asian soybean rust can quickly cause 30 to 40 percent yield loss in producers’ fields. Dr. Dorrance led an effort to test the effectiveness of available fungicides for the control of Asian soybean rust and endemic soybean diseases of the U. S. soybean belt.
The checkoff’s highest honor, the USB Outstanding Achievement Award, was awarded to Dr. Richard Wilson, retired national program leader for oilseeds and bioscience research at the United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA, ARS). Dr. Wilson has made incomparable contributions to the soybean industry during his distinguished 32-year career with USDA. As national program leader, he led more than 400 scientists in nearly 300 projects in crop genetics, molecular biology and agricultural product utilization. Prior to that position, Dr. Wilson served as the research leader for the USDA-ARS Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research Unit, guiding the focus of soybean research on quality traits.
Dr. Wilson’s accomplishments are evidenced in part by more than 225 scientific publications, including 11 books. Even after his retirement, Dr. Wilson actively coordinates soybean research initiatives and continues to author scientific articles.
Dr. Randy Shoemaker, USDA-ARS soybean geneticist, was also honored by the soybean community. The United Soybean Board awarded Dr. Shoemaker USB’s Excellence Award, focused on production research. Dr. Shoemaker’s contributions in genomics research have been invaluable to soybean farmers. In his role as a research geneticist with USDA-ARS, Dr. Shoemaker has helped lead the way in mapping the soybean genome, which will aid efforts to bring disease and pest resistance and improved soybean composition traits to the market.
Dr. Shoemaker’s research, funded in part by the soybean checkoff, helped establish a genomics database that is widely used by both public and private researchers. Through his leadership of the Soybean Genomics Executive Committee, Dr. Shoemaker has been instrumental in guiding the strategic plans of the group and in the development of projects that have sped up research on soybean genomics and streamlined the work being conducted across the country.
Dr. Shoemaker is a pioneer in the use of genomics to identify mechanisms within the plant that control resistance to disease and gene function. The knowledge gained in Dr. Shoemaker’s laboratory will benefit soybean producers for decades to come.
American Soybean Association President John Hoffman presented Dr. Anne Dorrance with ASA’s Special Meritorious Award.
Dr. Richard Wilson and Dr. Randy Shoemaker were honored for their contributions to soybean research by the United Soybean Board.
