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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research » Research » Research Project #439302

Research Project: Developing High Protein, Low Oil Content Soybeans that Provide Enhanced Nutritional and Economic Value

Location: Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research

Project Number: 6070-21220-069-070-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Oct 1, 2020
End Date: Sep 30, 2021

Objective:
1) Evaluate existing low oil, high protein lines, which are already under development for seed yield and stability across environments from maturity group 00-VIII. In anticipation of being fully funded, a seed increase of selected genotypes will be grown in the summer of 2019, including lines developed from wild soybean (Glycine soja), to ensure that testing can begin in 2020; 2) Evaluate very low oil (DW <15%) lines from GRIN from maturity groups 00-VIII for use in developing new breeding populations; 3) Establish a low oil, high protein content target composition, while improving the throughput mechanism for screening new lines; 4) Make crosses to allow identification of previously unidentified QTLs for low oil and improved nutritional value; 5) Develop low oil, high protein germplasm with improved nutritional value. Nutritional value will be based primarily on amino acid and fatty acid composition, to help meet industry demands.

Approach:
•Screen lines released which are 50% wild soybean by pedigree. All contain high protein (>45%) and low oil (<18%). None appear to have the high protein G. soja allele on chromosome 15. However, three of the four appear to have the high protein G. soja allele on chromosome 20. One line appears to be null for both hi pro alleles and may have avoided the yield drag associated with both chromosomes 15 and 20 and yields 78% of the check. • Evaluate eight lines from a cross between Hutcheson x PI 5974628 that contain high protein (>45%) and low oil (<18%) and yield ~70% of the check and seventeen lines from a cross between Hutcheson x PI 507618 that yield ~75% of the check. All lines will be assayed using the 6K chip. • Nearly 100 MG IV- VII lines with <18% oil and >45% protein derived from several north x south crosses will be grown in plant rows to increase seed for future yield trials. The seed composition and seed yield data will be collected, lines meeting the composition and yield criteria will be entered in the USDA regional trials before release of selected lines as germplasm. • Several crosses will be made to combine high protein and low oil in high performing conventional lines. • Selected USDA germplasm accessions previously reported to have seeds with protein concentrations of at least 47.4% (more than 2,900 listed in GRIN) or oil concentrations in the range of 14.1 to 16.0% (8,071 PIs listed in GRIN) will be chosen for further evaluation in the field. Entries for field tests will be chosen based partly on their agronomic potential and possession of valuable traits in previous studies.