Resequencing 250 soybean accessions: new insights into genes associated with agronomic traits and genetic networks

Abstract

Limited knowledge on genomic diversity and the functional genes associated with soybean variety traits has resulted in slow breeding progress. We sequenced the genome of 250 soybean landraces and cultivars from China, America and Europe, and investigated their population structure, genetic diversity and architecture and selective sweep regions of accessions. We identified five novel agronomically important genes and studied the effects of functional mutations in respective genes. We found candidate genes GSTT1, GL3 and GSTL3 associated with isoflavone content, CKX3 associated with yield traits, and CYP85A2 associated with both architecture and yield traits. Our phenotype-gene network analysis revealed that hub nodes play a role in complex phenotypic associations. In this work, we describe novel agronomic trait associated genes and a complex genetic network, providing a valuable resource for future soybean molecular breeding.