Mapping of the genomic regions controlling seed storability in soybean (Glycine max L.)

Seed storability is especially important in the tropics due to high temperature and relative humidity of storage environment that cause rapid deterioration of seeds in storage. The objective of this study was to use SSR markers to identify genomic regions associated with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling seed storability based on relative germination rate in the F_2:3 population derived from a cross between vegetable soybean line (MJ0004-6) with poor longevity and landrace cultivar from Myanmar (R18500) with good longevity. The F_2:4 seeds harvested in 2011 and 2012 were used to investigate seed storability. The F₂ population was genotyped with 148 markers and the genetic map consisted of 128 SSR loci which converged into 38 linkage groups covering 1664.3 cM of soybean genome. Single marker analysis revealed that 13 markers from six linkage groups (C1, D2, E, F, J and L) were associated with seed storability. Composite interval mapping identified a total of three QTLs on linkage groups C1, F and L with phenotypic variance explained ranging from 8.79 to 13.43%. The R18500 alleles increased seed storability at all of the detected QTLs. No common QTLs were found for storability of seeds harvested in 2011 and 2012. This study agreed with previous reports in other crops that genotype by environment interaction plays an important role in expression of seed storability.