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Genetic Analysis of Energy Production in the Soybean 1
Author(s) -
Hanson W. D.,
Leffel R. C.,
Howell Robert W.
Publication year - 1961
Publication title -
crop science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.76
H-Index - 147
eISSN - 1435-0653
pISSN - 0011-183X
DOI - 10.2135/cropsci1961.0011183x000100020011x
Subject(s) - geneticist , library science , crop , agriculture , associate editor , operations research , biology , mathematics , agronomy , computer science , ecology , genetics
W. D. Hansen, R. C. Lefifel, and Robert W. Howell THE emphasis in soybean breeding has been on the production of high yielding, high oil lines; however, a shift in emphasis from oil to protein has been made to obtain a balanced total program. In practice, an increase in oil percentage has been associated with a decrease in protein percentage. The change in percent oil to the change in percent protein is considered to be approximately 1 to 2. The basis for this statement or, for that matter, the basic measures for studying the genetic control of the energy are not clearly defined. The objective of this paper is to quantify the genetics involving the production of energy by the soybean plant and to relate this information with the present breeding program. A plant produces energy by first synthesizing sugar. The energy which is not used for plant metabolism and growth is stored. The form in which the energy is stored and the quality and the quantity of the stored energy is the unique expression of a genotype grown within an environment. Yield components such as seed size, seeds per fruiting unit, and units per plant are genetically controlled but must be considered subservient to the ability of a genotype to produce energy unless storage limitations exist. Two genetic systems should be considered: (i) the genetic potential required to produce total seed energy and (ii) the genetic control of the distribution of energy between seed fractions.