Genome-wide association study for biomass accumulation traits in soybean

Soybean is one of the most versatile crops for oil production, human diets, and feedstocks. The vegetative biomass of soybean is an important determinant of seed yield and is crucial for the forage usages. However, the genetic control of soybean biomass is not well explained. In this work, we used a soybean germplasm population, including 231 improved cultivars, 207 landraces, and 121 wild soybeans, to investigate the genetic basis of biomass accumulation of soybean plants at the V6 stage. We found that biomass-related traits, including NDW (nodule dry weight), RDW (root dry weight), SDW (shoot dry weight), and TDW (total dry weight), were domesticated during soybean evolution. In total, 10 loci, encompassing 47 putative candidate genes, were detected for all biomass-related traits by a genome-wide association study. Among these loci, seven domestication sweeps and six improvement sweeps were identified. Glyma.05G047900, a purple acid phosphatase, was a strong candidate gene to improve biomass for future soybean breeding. This study provided new insights into the genetic basis of biomass accumulation during soybean evolution.

Automated summary

This study investigated the genetic basis of biomass accumulation in soybean plants. It identified 10 loci and 47 candidate genes related to biomass traits, and highlighted a potential candidate gene for future soybean breeding.