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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #424399
Research Project: Exploiting Genetic Diversity to Improve Environmental Resilience, Seed Composition, Yield, and Profitability of U.S. Soybean

Location: Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research

Title: Registration of maturity group V germplasm USDA-ARS-GN5002 with elevated oil content and competitive yield

Author
item Mian, Rouf
item Arif Uz Zaman, Muhammad
item Villagarcia, Margarita
item Fallen, Benjamin

Submitted to: Journal of Plant Registrations
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/4/2025
Publication Date: 11/30/2025
Citation: Mian, R.M., Arif Uz Zaman, M., Villagarcia, M.R., Fallen, B.D. 2025. Registration of maturity group V germplasm USDA-ARS-GN5002 with elevated oil content and competitive yield. Journal of Plant Registrations. 19. https://doi.org/10.1002/plr2.70030.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/plr2.70030

Interpretive Summary: Soybean is the largest oilseed crop globally and a key source of vegetable oil and protein meal for human and animal consumption, playing a critical role in global food security. Higher seed oil content is important for increasing oil production efficiency and meeting the growing demand for vegetable oils in food, feed, and industrial applications. However, increasing oil content typically comes at the expense of protein content, making it challenging to develop soybean varieties that achieve a balance between both traits without sacrificing yield. To address this need, USDA-ARS, in collaboration with the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service, released USDA-ARS-GN5002, a maturity group V soybean germplasm with elevated seed oil content, competitive seed yield, and stable protein content. Tested across multiple environments from 2019 to 2022, USDA-ARS-GN5002 consistently produced a higher oil content than standard check varieties without compromising meal protein or seed yield. Additionally, it is resistant to stem canker, a major soybean disease. With a growing trend toward earlier-maturing soybean varieties in North Carolina and other southeastern states, USDA-ARS-GN5002 provides a valuable genetic resource for improving oil content while ensuring stable yields, benefiting both growers and processors and expanding the genetic diversity available for breeding high-oil soybeans.

Technical Abstract: USDA-ARS-GN5002 is a conventional F4–derived late maturity group (MG) V soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] germplasm with elevated seed oil content and competitive seed yield. This germplasm was jointly released by USDA-ARS and North Carolina Agricultural Research Service in 2025. USDA-ARS-GN5002, experimental name N17-2520, was derived from a cross between R09-4095 and NC-Miller (PI665018). It was tested in 22 and 44 environments under the MG V United Soybean Board Protein Diversity Test (PDT) and USDA Southern Uniform Test (UT), respectively, from 2019 to 2022. The seed yield of USDA-ARS-GN5002 (4062 kg ha-1 in PDT and 3706 kg ha-1 in UT) was statistically similar to the check means in both the PDT (3766 kg ha-1) and UT (3840 kg ha-1). Similarly, seed protein contents of USDA-ARS-GN5002 (408 g kg-1 in PDT and 397 g kg-1 in UT) on a dry weight basis were statistically similar to the check means in the PDT (411 g kg-1) and UT (393 g kg-1). However, the seed oil contents of USDA-ARS-GN5002 (228 g kg-1 in PDT and 238 g kg-1 in UT) on a dry weight basis were significantly (p<0.05) higher than the check means in the PDT (216 g kg-1) and UT (221 g kg-1). USDA-ARS-GN5002 is also resistant to stem canker. With an elevated seed oil content that does not compromise seed yield or protein content, USDA-ARS-GN5002 is a promising addition to the limited MG V genetic stocks for the southeastern region.