Phenotypic evaluation of Canadian × Chinese elite germplasm in a diversity panel for seed yield and seed quality traits

Abstract

Despite mounting concerns regarding the narrowness of the genetic base of soybean (( Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in North America and the challenges that it may pose in the changing global environment and climate, exotic germplasm remains seldom used by breeders owing to various concerns. The objective of this study was to evaluate a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) genomic diversity panel of 200 soybean genotypes for seed yield, seed quality, and agronomic trait performance. The GWAS panel consisted of lines derived from several generations of bi-parental crosses between elite Canadian and elite Chinese cultivars (CD–CH), elite Canadian cultivars (CD), and exotic elite Chinese cultivars (CH) evaluated at Elora and Woodstock, ON, in 2019 and 2020. In the combined analysis of variance, the CD–CH group showed a significant increase in seed yield, although the performance of this group was otherwise comparable or inferior to the adapted elite Canadian cultivars. Canadian cultivars were superior to both CD–CH and elite, exotic Chinese cultivars in seed oil and seed protein concentration. The yield potential of the exotic-derived soybean lines observed in this study provide a great source of novel genetics for soybean breeders interested in introgressing novel alleles from exotic sources to improve yield to help combat climate change.