Inheritance of Reduced and Elevated Palmitate in Mutant Lines of Soybean

Abstract

The saturated fatty ester content of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] oil may influence its use in food products. The palmitate content in the seed oil of common soybean cultivars is ≈110 g kg−1. Soybean mutants with reduced or elevated palmitate have been developed. Previous research had shown that the alleles controlling reduced palmitate in C1726 (fapl) and A22 (fapx) were at independent loci, the alleles controlling elevated palmitate in A21 (fap2‐b) and A24 (fap?) were at independent loci, and that A21 and C1727 (fap2) had alleles at the same locus or at tightly linked loci. The objective of this study was to determine if the fapx allele in A22 was at the same locus as fap2 and if the fap? allele in A24 was at the same locus as fapl. The C1726 line was crossed to A21 and A24. The A22 line was crossed to C1727, A21, and A24. The F2 segregation ratio and the segregation of F3 seeds from F2 plants indicated that A22 and A24 have alleles at different independent loci than C1726, C1727, A21, and each other. The temporary designation of fapx for the allele in A22 was replaced by the permanent designation of fap3, and the temporary designation of fap? for the allele in A24 was replaced by the permanent designation of fap4. The study showed that there are at least four independent loci in soybean that control palmitate content.