ARS | Publication request: Delivering More Nutritious Soybeans After Molecular Genetic Detective Work

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: September 13, 2010
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Soybean oil is an important, but hidden, component of the American diet. Both positive and negative impacts from the fatty acid components of oils have been demonstrated for human nutrition needs. The objective of this research was to identify soybean genes that underlie important oil quality traits. For the low linolenic acid trait, three independent genes were identified that combined to produce approximately 90% of the undesired linolenic acid component of the oil profile. Molecular markers specific for mutant versions of these genes allowed selection of soybean lines with the desired low linolenic acid profiles. The monounsaturated fatty acid oleic acid is considered a healthy component of oils. The soybean germplasm collection did not contain any lines with a high oleic acid profile, but some lines had minor improvements in this component of the oil. Our results demonstrate the first identification of the genes necessary to develop non-transgenic high oleic soybean oil varieties. The impact of this research is the availability of new soybean germplasm and molecular tools to develop soybean cultivars that meet the nutritional needs for the human diet.