Registration of the high-yielding soybean germplasm line LG04-6000

The soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] germplasm line LG04-6000 (Reg. No. GP-379, PI 664025) was developed and released by the USDA-ARS and the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station at Urbana. LG04-6000 was derived from an F ₅ plant from the cross of HS93-4118 × LG97-9912. LG97-9912 was derived from LG90-4181 × A3322. LG90-4181 is from PI 436682 × 'Lawrence' (PI 518673). PI 436682 is the Chinese cultivar 'Jilin 15', and LG04-6000 is the first germplasm released in the United States that has Jilin 15 as a progenitor. LG04-6000 is classified in early maturity group IV. In tests at 8 locations in 2006 conducted cooperatively with commercial soybean breeding companies, LG04-6000 yielded 127 kg ha ^-1 more than LD00-3309. In tests at 22 locations in the Uniform Test IV in 2007 and 2008, LG04-6000 was the highest-yielding entry in the test in both years, exceeding the yield of LD00-3309, the highest-yielding check cultivar in both years, by an average of 8%. LG04-6000 is known to be susceptible to race 4 and resistant to race 7 of Phytophthora sojae Kaufmann & Gerdemann. LG04-6000 is the first example of germplasm derived from exotic parents adapted to the northern United States that has demonstrated a yield potential significantly higher than that of the best cultivars from public institutions. The combination of high yield and unique pedigree makes this line an exceptional new source of genetic diversity to improve the yield of U.S. cultivars.