1994 Greenhouse Opens

The greenhouse program began as herbicide tolerance traits started to emerge. STS soybean, Roundup Ready, and similar crops needed purity testing. The greenhouse offered a rock-solid bioassay post method. Herbicide was applied to seedlings using the label field rate. The former United Agri-Seeds headquarters in Savoy, Illinois, was being converted to a technology incubator facility, and the site boasted an 8,000-square-foot greenhouse that was available for lease. The new endeavor sought any test or service to assist seed companies, including phytophthora and brown stem rot resistance screening. The ability to test for traits led to related work in trait introgression services for corn and soybean, requiring hand pollinations and efforts to increase the number of breeding cycles achieved. In 1999, the Board of Directors approved a new, purpose-built greenhouse located at the Research Road headquarters, dedicated to herbicide tolerance purity testing.