Epistatic Effects and QE Interaction Effects of QTLs for Protein Content in Soybean

Abstract

Soybean [Glycine max(L).Merr.],widely grown in United States,Brazil,Argentina,and China,is one of the plant protein source.Protein content in soybean is a quantitative trait controlled by multiple genes,and Currently,SoyBase(2007) documented at least 76 QTL associated with protein content that have been mapped in many different populations and environ-ments.The objective of the paper was to investigate epistatic effects and QE interaction effects of QTLs for protein content by mixed linear model.QTLs for soybean protein content were detected in a five-year experiment with the recombination inbred lines(RIL) population derived from a cross between Charleston and Dongnong 594.Ten QTLs with additive effects for protein content were mapped in the linkage groups B2,C2,D1a,E,and N,one of which was the positive effect contributed by Charleston,the others of which were the negative effects donated by Dongnong 94.Fifteen QTLs pairs with epistatic effects for protein con-tent in the RIL were detected,accounting for 13.57% of the general phenotypic variation.There existed interaction between 9 QTLs and environment,and the general contribution to protein content was 4.47%.