"Arksoy," the first Arkansas soybean variety, was developed by agronomy professor Chalmers K. McClelland and released by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station in 1928. Agronomist Charles E. Caviness and plant pathologists H.J. "Jack" Walters and Robert D. Riggs developed improved varieties with genetic resistance to Phytophthora root rot and soybean cyst nematode, which increased yields and more than doubled the state acreage suitable for soybeans. Soybean acreage exceeded that of cotton in 1956 to become Arkansas' largest field crop.
This marker is located in the courtyard between the Agriculture Building and the Agriculture Annex.
Year Placed: 1999