NEWS

Roger Boerma

Roger Boerma
Inventor’s Award 2011

Roger Boerma, Distinguished Research Professor of Crop and Soil Sciences and director, UGA Center for Soybean Improvement and UGA Center for Applied Genetic Technologies, developed several superior transgenic and conventional soybean cultivars now widely grown across the country.

Boerma’s use of DNA marker-assisted selection shortened the breeding cycle for development of new soybean cultivars by more than three years. The cultivars have superior seed yield and resistance to multiple species of nematodes and fungal diseases. The high-yielding Woodruff cultivar includes two new yield genes, discovered in a Japanese soybean accession and transferred into Woodruff using the DNA marker technology.

The widespread use of Boerma’s improved cultivars has lessened the need for pesticides—while also boosting seed yield, with the overall effect being reduced production costs. Boerma’s soybean cultivars not only provide greater profit per acre but are also more sustainable.

Previous Award

Distinguished Research Professor 1994