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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #346011
Title: Effect of maturity and temperature on breeding for mid-oleic soybean lines under the high heat conditions of the Mississippi Delta, USA

Author
item Gillen, Anne
item Bellaloui, Nacer

Submitted to: Euphytica
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/21/2018
Publication Date: 6/20/2018
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5969298
Citation: Gillen, A.M., Bellaloui, N. 2018. Effect of maturity and temperature on breeding for mid-oleic soybean lines under the high heat conditions of the Mississippi Delta, USA. Euphytica. 214:115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-018-2181-8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-018-2181-8

Interpretive Summary: Soybean seed is an important source of oil for human consumption. Increasing the percentage of oleic acid in seed oil is an important breeding objective because increasing the oleic acid content improves the stability and shelf-life of the oil. Extensive literature shows that when temperature during seed-fill increases the content of oleic acid increases in soybeans. The Mississippi Delta in the USA is a hot environment where soybean harvest begins in August, which is the hottest part of the season. The purpose of this research was to determine if it were possible to develop both early- and late-maturing varieties with consistent oleic acid content of over 50% in Mississippi. We selected early and late soybean varieties from three genetically different breeding populations that had plants with a wide range of oleic acid. The selected varieties were grown in two years in three trials at Stoneville, MS. Results indicated that no late-maturing varieties (maturity group V) met the targeted mid-oleic acid level, whereas maturity group III and early maturity group IV varieties with oleic acid over 50% were obtained. This study demonstrates that breeders can effectively develop early soybeans with oleic acid levels greater than 50% for the midsouthern USA.

Technical Abstract: Soybean (Glycine max (L) Merr.) seed is an important source of oil for human consumption. Increasing the percentage of oleic acid in seed oil is an important breeding objective because increasing the oleic acid content improves the oxidative stability of the oil. Extensive literature shows that temperature during seed-fill is positively correlated with the content of oleic acid in soybeans. In addition, it was shown that a maturity QTL was linked to an oleic acid QTL. The Mississippi Delta in the USA is a hot environment where soybean harvest begins in August, which is the hottest part of the season. The purpose of this research was to determine if it were possible to develop both early- and late-maturing lines with consistent >50% oleic acid content in Mississippi. We selected early and late segregants from three genetically different breeding populations also segregating for mid-oleic acid derived from crosses to germplasm N98-4445A, a non-transgenic freely available line with >50% oleic acid. The selected lines were grown in two years in three trials at Stoneville, MS. Results indicated that no late-maturing lines (MG V) met the targeted mid-oleic acid level, whereas MG III and early MG IV lines with oleic acid over 50% were obtained. No maturity-alone effect on oleic acid content was observed, due to the bias of the strong negative correlation between maturity date and mean temperature during seed-fill. This study demonstrates that breeders can effectively develop early soybeans with oleic acid levels greater than 50% for the midsouthern USA.