A pair of Purdue University students developed a unique, non-toxic soy-based herbicide that took top honors in a student innovation contest sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance, a Qualified State Soybean Board (QSSB). The contest, which awarded honors online this year, encourages students to develop novel applications for soybeans that meet a market need.
Purdue students Alyson Chaney and Peyton Clark, or Team HerbiSoy, developed an herbicide that includes soybean oil.
“It’s a general weed killer,” explains Clark. “We’ve tested it on broadleaf and grasses, and it’s effective on both. We see this as a product that is safe for people to use around their homes, but there is also potential for it to go into the agricultural market as a general burndown.”
This is the 26th year of this competition. Past winners include Stroy, drinking straws made from soybean plastic, an eco-friendly heating, ventilation and air conditioning filter and many other creative products. The students’ innovations demonstrate the versatility and potential of soy to address a wide variety of challenges.
