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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Urbana, Illinois » Soybean/maize Germplasm, Pathology, and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #334354
Title: Genetic introgression from Glycine tomentella to soybean to increase seed yield

Author
item AKPERTEY, ABRAHAM - University Of Illinois
item Singh, Ram
item DIERS, BRIAN - University Of Illinois
item GRAEF, GEORGE - University Of Nebraska
item Mian, Rouf
item SHANNON, J - University Of Missouri
item SCABOO, ANDREW - University Of Missouri
item HUDSON, MATTHEW - University Of Illinois
item THURBER, CARRIE - Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College
item BROWN, PATRICK - University Of Illinois
item Nelson, Randall

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/20/2017
Publication Date: 5/3/2018
Citation: Akpertey, A., Singh, R.J., Diers, B., Graef, G., Mian, R.M., Shannon, J.G., Scaboo, A., Hudson, M., Thurber, C., Brown, P., Nelson, R.L. 2018. Genetic introgression from Glycine tomentella to soybean to increase seed yield. Crop Science. 58:1277-1291. doi: 10.2135/cropsci2017.07.0445.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2017.07.0445

Interpretive Summary: There are many perennial Glycine species that are distant relatives of soybean that represent a totally untapped resource of new genetic diversity for soybean breeding. Because the genomes of soybean and these perennial species are so different, we had to develop and employ specialized techniques to produce fertile lines from these crosses. The Glycine tomentella line was selected for use as a parent because it had high levels of resistance to several diseases. The objective of this research was to evaluate the yield potential of selected lines derived from crossing these very different parents and to determine the effects of G. tomentella genes on yield and other agronomic traits. We identified many G. tomentella-derived lines that yielded more than the soybean parent line with one line yielding more than 7.5 bushels per acre more than the soybean parent. We found genetic associations between DNA markers from the G. tomentella parent and changes in time of flowering and maturity, plant height, lodging and yield. The DNA markers from the G. tomentella parent were all associated with reductions in yield. Because we had few DNA markers from the G. tomentella parent and they existed in very low frequencies in the lines tested, we could not adequately test for genetic associations with yield in this experiment. This is first report of using perennial Glycine to increase yield in soybean and the very large yield increases that we found was totally unexpected. These data indicate that the perennial Glycine species could be extremely important sources of genetic diversity for soybean breeding.

Technical Abstract: Commercial soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] breeding in the U.S. currently relies on a narrow genetic base in which more than half of the genetic contribution, calculated by pedigree analysis, comes from only 5 ancestral lines. For decades, but more intensely in recent years, efforts have been made to incorporate exotic soybean germplasm into the breeding pool. Glycine tomentella (2n = 78), native to Australia, is a perennial relative in the tertiary gene pool of soybean. Although G. tomentella has been shown to have high levels of resistance to several diseases, including soybean rust and soybean cyst nematode, no effort has been devoted to utilizing this species to increase seed yield. The objectives of this research were 1) to identify high yielding lines derived from backcrosses between the cultivar Dwight (2n = 40) and G. tomentella PI 441001 (2n = 78) and to compare their agronomic performance to the recurrent parent and 2) to determine associations between Glycine tomentella introgressions and agronomic traits. PI 441001 was crossed to Dwight and immature seed rescue was used to produce a sterile F1 plant. Amphidiploid plants (2n = 118) were produced by treating the F1 hybrid with colchicine. Amphidiploid plants were backcrossed to Dwight to obtain BC1 and BC2 plants. A series of backcrosses were made with fifteen different BC2 plants to obtain BC3, BC4, BC5, and BC6 lines with 2n = 40 chromosomes, which were self-fertile and genetically stable. Preliminary yield testing of progenies from seven different BC2 plants was used to select 180 lines in maturity groups (MG) II, III, and IV that had yields above or below the recurrent parent. Yield data collected in two replication tests at six to eight locations in Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska in 2013 and 2014 identified experimental lines in all three MGs that were higher yielding than the recurrent parent. All experimental and parental lines were genotyped, revealing an average of 1.8% (1.2-3.0%) G. tomentella introgression. Significant associations were detected between G. tomentella introgressions and time of R1 and R8, height, lodging, and yield.