Mizzou develops one-of-a-kind soybean varieties

Oct. 5, 2026

Plant scientists in the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) are the first in the world to develop three new soybean varieties that combine a non-GMO trait for healthier oil with resistance to three different herbicides. The sought-after cultivars are on the market thanks to partnerships with the Technology Advancement office, farmer-led organizations and biotechnology companies.

“These varieties are unique and highly valuable assets in the soybean community,” says Sam Bish, senior technology transfer manager. “There are more people wanting these than we have seeds, and the University of Missouri is the only place you can get them right now.”

Bryan Stobaugh, a strategic business advisor for Beck’s Superior Hybrids Inc., says the new varieties create value across the agricultural supply chain because they provide both the weed control needed for modern production systems and a high-oleic trait that offers a fatty acid profile similar to olive oil that also performs well in high-heat cooking applications. Researchers and industry also have discovered benefits for dairy producers.

“The dairy cattle portion of this is a byproduct that we were lucky to find out,” Stobaugh says. “Dairy producers are paid for the amount of milk fat and protein in the milk, and the use of high-oleic soybeans in the dairy cow ration increases the fat in milk, which puts profits in the dairy farmer’s pocket. This is a big win for our industry.”
 

The research

Developing these one-of-a-kind soybean varieties started with collaborative research in 2009 when Mizzou and U.S. Department of Agriculture scientists discovered a naturally occurring soybean trait that increases the plant's heart-healthy oleic acid. The trait, later trademarked SOYLEIC^®, was developed through conventional breeding rather than transgentic modification.

Six years ago, Associate Professor Andrew Scaboo in the Division of Plant Science and Technology and his team began using conventional and molecular breeding approaches to develop varieties with the high-oleic trait that also possess the Enlist E3^® soybean technology for herbicide resistance.

“This work is the result of a long-term commitment by researchers, farmers and industry partners,” Scaboo says. “We could not have developed these varieties without financial investment from farmers and their interest in supporting this type of research. It’s all farmer-driven.” 

Partnerships and commercialization

The United Soybean Board (USB) and Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council (MSMC) are farmer-led organizations that provide economic opportunities through marketing, research, education and commercialization programs. Scaboo says approximately $2 million in funding from USB and MSMC supported research and development of the varieties.

The Technology Advancement office worked with researchers, MSMC, industry and the Missouri Foundation Seed program advisory committee to protect the university’s intellectual property, obtain permission to use Enlist E3™ soybean technology and move the new varieties from lab and field into commercial production. 
 

Originally, MSMC held exclusive licensing rights to the patented high-oleic trait and spent a number of years building the SOYLEIC^® brand. Last March, Technology Advancement in collaboration with MSMC transferred the rights from MSMC to Beck’s Superior Hybrids, a major U.S. seed company. Bish hopes this development along with agreements allowing other seed companies to license and sell seeds from the new varieties will help meet increasing demand. 

Scaboo says soybeans with the high-oleic trait have seen a resurgence in sales because farmers now have the ability to grow plants that are protected by a much more effective weed-control technology. Currently, he and his team are developing similar varieties adapted for different growing regions across the Midwest.

According to the UM System Office of Intellectual Property Administration, Mizzou has received more than $2.8 million in income from soybean technologies over the last 10 years. Of the 138 licensed soybean varieties in the university's inventory, the varieties that possess the SOYLEIC^® trait have generated the most revenue.

“Our soybean breeding programs have had a long history of developing high-yielding soybean varieties,” Bish says. “We are optimistic that these efforts will open the door to more large-scale adoption of soybeans with SOYLEIC^® technology.” 

Editor's note: ENLIST E3^® soybean technology is jointly developed by Corteva Agriscience LLC and MS Technologies LLC and is a trademark of Corteva Agriscience LLC.