Agronomical Aspects of the Development of Cultivars

Soybean breeding has been carried out with the objective of increasing the frequency of favorable genes of the traits object of the program. Undoubtedly, the increase in grain yield has been the main objective of breeding programs. Other traits aiming to improve crop management or the use of the grain for industrial purposes are also targeted by breeders. Early cultivars, erect plant architecture, incorporation of biotic and abiotic stress resistance via transgenic and physical, and chemical seed quality are some examples of traits of interest in many breeding programs. The soybean develop grown in a wide variety of environments, so its ideotype should be considered dynamic and varied according to each environment and cultivation condition. Under such circumstances, breeders should address different cropping regions, cropping systems, climatic adversities, biotic stresses, and the technological level of farmers, for example.