Effects of high oleic acid soybean on seed yield, protein and oil contents, and seed germination revealed by near-isogeneic lines

Typical soybean oil is composed of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids. High oleic acid content in soybean seed is a key compositional trait that improves oxidative stability and increases oil functionality and shelf life. Using a marker-assisted selection method, near-isogenic lines (NILs) of G00-3213 for the high oleic trait were developed and yield tested. These NILs have various combinations of FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B alleles that were derived from the same backcrossing populations. The results indicated that G00-3213 NILs with both homozygous mutant FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B alleles produced an average of 788g/kg oleic acid content. The results also demonstrated that possessing these mutant alleles did not cause a yield reduction. Furthermore, seed germination tests across 12 temperatures (12.8-32.0 degrees C) showed that modified seed composition for oleic acid in general did not have a major impact on seed germination. However, there was a possible reduction in seed germination vigour when high oleic seeds are planted in cold soil. The mutant FAD2-1A and FAD2-1B alleles did not hinder either seed or plant development.