BEAN NAMED FOR PORTAGEVILLE SCIENTIST

Dr. Sam Anand, a soybean researcher, was known for years as "The Soybean Man" at the Delta Research Center in Portageville.

Today, a soybean is named after him.

Anand, a newly released soybean variety that is high yielding and resistant to the soybean cyst nematode, is named for the University of Missouri scientist who developed it.

Anand and his colleagues at the UM Delta Research Center crossed two varieties -- Hartwig and Holladay -- to come up with the Anand.

"You try to make some improvements every time you develop a new bean," Anand said from the University of Missouri-Columbia. "We've been pleased with the test result of the latest variety."

Anand, the bean, underwent national uniform variety tests in 10 states. Anand was the highest yielding variety among 24 lines in 10 locations in 1997 and was tops among 26 lines at 22 locations the following year.

"It was my 12th variety, and I am pleased with its new name," said Amand.

Delta Center supervisor Jake Fisher and the center's advisory commission decided to name the new variety for Anand because of his many contributions to soybean research at the Delta agriculture experimental station the past 19 years.

Anand developed and released 12 soybean varieties from 1983 to 1999, when he retired from his post at Portageville and moved to the campus in Columbia, where he still works part time.

It's only fitting that his most recent variety should bear his name, said Fisher. "It doesn't give you any dollar amount, but it's satisfying to know your work is appreciated."

Farmers across the country are familiar with Anand. Others appreciate his work, even if they don't know his name.

Much of his career has been dedicated to combating the soybean cyst nematode, which he calls "the worst soybean pest in the United States."

Anand, a native of Delhi, India, came to the United States in 1973 to study soybean plant breeding. After graduating from North Carolina State University, he obtained a doctorate at the University of Wisconsin. He then joined McNair Seed Co. in North Carolina, where he worked in soybean development.

"I developed three or four varieties at McNair," said Anand, and this opportunity came up with the University of Missouri. "I applied, interviewed and was hired, and have been at the Delta Center since."

The Amand variety involved crossing of the Hartwig and Holladay varieties.

The Holladay, a high-yielding bean, is susceptible to soybean cyst nematode, a tiny, subterranean worm that attacks the roots of soybean plants. It costs farmers hundreds of millions of dollars annually in lost yields.

Hartwig, which was also developed by Anand, was released in 1991 and is the first soybean variety resistant to all races of cyst nematode.

The Anand variety is resistant to races 3, 5 and 14. It was tested in Missouri fields, where it significantly out-yielded both the Hutcheson and Delsoy 5500 varieties over three and two years respectively. In nematode-infested fields, Anand yielded almost 75 percent better than the susceptible variety Hutcheson.

Over the years, Anand and his team have worked to develop nematode-resistant lines suitable for the soils and climate of Missouri. Many of his varieties are used in the development of other specialized soybean lines.

"They serve as a germplasm for developing more varieties all around the world," Anand said. "If we look into the pedigrees of other varieties, several of our varieties have contributed to the development of more than 100 other different varieties. It's had a lot of indirect impact."

Anand's work has brought him many honors, including recognition as Man of the Year in Agriculture by Progressive Farmer in 1991 and the Research Award from the American Soybean Association and the United Soybean Board in 1993.

The Anand soybean has been released in Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee because of its superior performance in those states. It is a maturity group V, adapted to the Midsouth and Southern areas of the United States.

The development of Anand was partially funded by the Missouri Soybean Merchandising Council. It was also supported by a special U.S. Department of Agriculture grant from an appropriation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo, a member of the House Agricultural Committee.

Anand seed will be released by University of Missouri agricultural experiment stations. The Missouri Seed Improvement Association in Columbia will handle distribution.

SOYBEAN NAMED IN HONOR OF PROFESSOR

A native of Delhi, India, Dr. Sam Anand came to the United States more than a quarter-century ago to study soybean-plant breeding at North Carolina State University and the University of Wisconsin.

He worked with McNair Seed Company in North Carolina a few years before joining the University of Missouri, where he has been developing new soybean varieties for 19 years at the Delta Research Center before his recent retirement.

This former professor has a soybean named in his honor.

Anand soybean varieties and the years they were announced:

Bradley, 1983

Pershing, 1984

Avery, 1987

Delsoy 4500, 1989

Delsoy 4900, 1989

Rhodes, 1990

Delsoy 4210, 1991

Delsoy 4710, 1991

Hartwig, 1991

Delsoy 5500, 1996

Delsoy 5710, 1998

Anand, 1998