Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) Underlying Protein, Oil, and Five Major Fatty Acids’ Contents in Soybean

Masum Akond, Shiming Liu, Melanie Boney, Stella K. Kantartzi, Khalid Meksem, Nacer Bellaloui, David A. Lightfoot, My Abdelmajid Kassem

Department of Plant, Soil and Agricultural Systems, Southern Il-linois University, Carbondale, USA.
Plant Genomics and Biotechnology Lab, Department of Biologi-cal Sciences, Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, USA.
United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, Crop Genetics Research Unit, Stoneville, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/ajps.2014.51021                

Abstract

Improved seed composition in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] for protein and oil quality is one of the major goals of soybean breeders. A group of genes that act as quantitative traits with their effects can alter protein, oil, palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids percentage in soybean seeds. The objective of this study was to identify Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) controlling protein, oil, and fatty acids content in a set of F_5:8 RILs derived from a cross between lines, ‘MD 96-5722’ and ‘Spencer’ using 5376 Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers from the Illumina Infinium SoySNP6K BeadChip array. QTL analysis used WinQTL Cart 2.5 software for composite interval mapping (CIM). Identified, were; one protein content QTL on linkage group (LG-) B2 or chromosome (Chr_) 14; 11 QTL associated with oil content on six linkage groups LG-N (Chr_3), LG-A1 (Chr_5), LG-K (Chr_9), LG-F (Chr_13), LG-B2 (Chr_14), and LG-J (Chr_16); and sixteen QTL for five major fatty acids (palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids) on LG-N (Chr_3), LG-F (Chr_13), LG-B2 (Chr_14), LG-E (Chr_15), LG-J (Chr_16), and LG-G (Chr_18). The SNP markers closely linked to the QTL reported here will be useful for development of cultivars with altered oil and fatty acid compositions in soybean breeding programs.

Keywords

Soybean; SNP Linkage Map; QTL; RIL; Oil; Major Fatty Acids; MD96-5722; Spencer

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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