Genetic Analysis of Yield Components in the PI 438489B by ‘Hamilton’ Recombinant Inbred Line (RIL) Population of Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]

Abstract

This study investigated genetic and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping of yield and yield components as well as seed isoflavones contents in soybean, a medically beneficial and nutrient-rich food and product corp. The studied yield components included pod numbers, seed number, plant height, and seed weight; and isoflavones included daidzein, genistein, and glycitein. These isoflavones have been implicated in the alleviation of menopause symptoms and in prostate and breast cancer risk reduction. The main objectives if this study were to map QTL for (1) days to flowering, days to germination, pod number, plant height, seed number, total seed weight and 100-seed weight; and (2) daidzein, genistein, and glycitein contents in the PI 438489B by `Hamilton' recombinant inbred line (RIL) population. A total of 18 QTLs were found for yield and yield components on 10 different chromosomes. Six total QTLs for seed isoflavones content were identified on 5 different chromosomes on the soybean genome. The QTL identified in this study could be introduced in breeding programs to develop super high yielding soybean cultivars with high production of beneficial isoflavones.