Quantitative trait loci associated with soybean seed weight and composition under different phosphorus levels


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HACISALIHOGLU G., BURTON A. L., GUSTIN J. L., EKER S., ASIKLI S., Heybet E., ...More

JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, vol.60, no.3, pp.232-241, 2018 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 60 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2018
  • Doi Number: 10.1111/jipb.12612
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.232-241
  • Çukurova University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Seed size and composition are important traits in food crops and can be affected by nutrient availability in the soil. Phosphorus (P) is a non-renewable, essential macronutrient, and P deficiency limits soybean (Glycine max) yield and quality. To investigate the associations of seed traits in low- and high-P environments, soybean recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from a cross of cultivars Fiskeby III and Mandarin (Ottawa) were grown under contrasting P availability environments. Traits including individual seed weight, seed number, and intact mature pod weight were significantly affected by soil P levels and showed transgressive segregation among the RILs. Surprisingly, P treatments did not affect seed composition or weight, suggesting that soybean maintains sufficient P in seeds even in low-P soil. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected for seed weight, intact pods, seed volume, and seed protein, with five significant QTLs identified in low-P environments and one significant QTL found in the optimal-P environment. Broad-sense heritability estimates were 0.78 (individual seed weight), 0.90 (seed protein), 0.34 (seed oil), and 0.98 (seed number). The QTLs identified under low P point to genetic regions that may be useful to improve soybean performance under limiting P conditions.