The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) developed 166 new inventions and
66 patent applications in the 2017 fiscal year, according to their Annual
Report on Technology Transfer released this month.

"USDA research not only improves agriculture, but it also creates business
opportunities and jobs through innovations affecting all areas of daily
life," said Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, USDA Acting Deputy Undersecretary for
Research, Education, and Economics. "This report illustrates why studies
show that every dollar invested in agricultural research returns $20 to our
economy."

Among the highlights of the 434-page report is the soybean germplasm with
heat tolerance gene. It was explained that temperatures above 90oF damages
soybean seeds and creates an economic loss for producers in areas where
temperatures are consistently high, such as the Mississippi Delta region.
Agriculture Research Service (ARS) scientists released the first U.S.
soybean germplasm line that commercial and public plant breeders can use to
develop heat-tolerant soybean cultivars for producers.

[www.ars.usda.gov]