Sucrose content is one of the important seed quality traits in soybean, especially for oriental soyfood production. However, little genetic information is available on this quantitative trait yet.

A previous study was conducted on seed sucrose content of soybean using a population of F2-derived lines from an interspecific cross between an adapted high-sucrose (8.3%) G. max breeding line (V71-370) and a low sucrose (1.6%) G. soja plant introduction (PI407162). Nineteen marker loci, mapping to seven linkage groups (A1, A2, E, F, L1, I, and M), were significantly associated with seed sucrose content after screening 178 polymorphic genetic markers, including RFLPs, SSRs, RAPDs and morphological markers. The replicated field experiments were planted in 1993 and 1995.

The objective of my study was to evaluate QTLs associated with seed sucrose content utilizing an additional 153 F2:3 families from the same cross.

DNA samples from the additional families were analyzed with the nineteen genetic markers associated with sucrose in the previous study. Sucrose data were obtained from seeds harvested from a field experiment conducted in 1995. Single factor analysis of variance results for the sucrose data obtained from the 153 F2:3 families were compared to the 1995 data for the 144 F2:3 families of the previous study.

Of the nineteen genetic markers significantly associated with seed sucrose content in the previous study, seven were also significantly associated in this study. These genetic markers include sgA458a on linkage group A2, NBS61 on linkage group E, sgB164, R-B4a and sgB162 on linkage group L1, and R-B4b and sgA144 on linkage group I. The percent phenotypic variation explained by significant individual markers varied from 2.9 to 6.8% in the 153 F2:3 families.

This study shows that seed sucrose content, a quantitative trait, may be improved using the molecular marker technology. Further research is necessary in different genetic backgrounds of G. max in order to implement these markers in a breeding program for selection.