Protein Yield Stability of Soybean Breeding Lines
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Date
2015-03-25
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Abstract
In Africa soybeans (Glycine max) serve as a dietary source of protein via soymilk and soy flour. Africa currently produces ~1.5 million tons of soybeans, and imports a similar amount. Increased soybean production has been proposed as a partial solution for malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa. Developing soybean cultivars with maximal protein production per hectare (protein yield) may be part of this solution. Because crop production in Africa is often limited by unpredictable environmental constraints, protein yield would need to be stable across environments. Previous studies have evaluated genotype-by-environment interaction (GEI) and stability of yield for soybean cultivars, finding that high yields are often associated with high yield instability. However, there has been little research on GEI of protein yield. We are investigating the relationship between protein yield and the stability of protein yield. This study aimed to determine seed protein content, protein yield, yield, and their correlations (positive, negative, or neutral) with the stability of each of these traits. We hypothesized that protein yield would be positively correlated with protein yield instability. Three replicates of 114 breeding lines were grown in four Ohio environments. Seed protein content, determined by Near Infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, protein yield, and yield were assessed. Stability indices were generated using the Eberhart-Russell method, indicating levels of stability of each cultivar across environments. Correlations between protein content, protein yield, and yield and their stability indices were positive, but insignificant. This indicated that cultivars with high protein yield may exhibit stable protein yields across variable environments. Thus, increasing protein yield may be one component of addressing malnutrition in Africa and warrants further research.
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Agriculture/Environmental Science: 3rd Place (The Ohio State University Denman Undergraduate Research Forum)
Keywords
Soybean, Protein Stability, Yield Stability, Genotype by Environment Interaction