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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #406191
Research Project: Characterization and Introgression of Nematode Resistance into Upland Cotton

Location: Crop Genetics Research

Title: Genome-wide association studies of morpho-physiological and yield traits in soybean

Author
item SANKARAPILLAI, LEKSHMY - Mississippi State University
item RAMAMOORTHY, PURUSHOTHAMAN - Mississippi State University
item VENNAM, RANADHEER - Mississippi State University
item POUDEL, SADIKSYA - Mississippi State University
item REDDY, K. RAJA - Mississippi State University
item Stetina, Salliana - Sally
item BHEEMANAHALLI, RAJU - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: Journal of the Mississippi Academy of Sciences
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/25/2023
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Soybean plant architecture is an important agronomic aspect for determining yield, and genotypes vary for morpho-physiological traits. Studies have shown that reproductive-stage biomass-related traits correlate with yield potential. Because the plants which produce higher vegetative biomass (source), tend to allocate more resources to developing reproductive structures (sink) such as pods and seeds. Therefore, this study focused on mapping genetic loci associated with morpho-physiological and yield traits in soybean grown under rainfed conditions. We explored natural pigment variation and morphological traits using 457 soybean accessions from different maturity groups. Our findings showed a substantial diversity index (H') across all traits, including flavonoid (6.12) and anthocyanin (6.12) indies, as well as the number of nodes, nitrogen balance index, and chlorophyll content (6.11), indicating significant natural variability. Reproductive-stage biomass was positively correlated (p<0.001) with plant height (r = 0.43), node number (r = 0.59), and pod number (r = 41), while chlorophyll content was negatively correlated (r = -0.53) with specific leaf area. To identify significant genetic loci associated with these traits, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Twenty-six loci were significantly associated with anthocyanin (4) and flavonoid indices (9), plant height (2), and pod numbers (11). Further, the haplotypes associated with these traits are mined to identify potential candidate genes. These haplotypes could be helpful for trait-based breeding programs to improve soybean yield and morpho-physiological characteristics.