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Performance and Stability of Brachytic and Normal-Stemmed Isolines of Soybean

Dep. of Crop and Soil Sciences, Natl. Crops Exp. Stn., RDA, Suwon 441-100, Korea
Dep. of Crop and Soil Sciences, Univ. of Georgia, Miller Plant Sci. Bldg., Athens, GA 30602-7272
Dep. of Crop and Soil Sciences, Univ. of Georgia, 1109 Experiment St., Griffin, GA 30223-1797
Dep. of Crop and Soil Sciences, Univ. of Georgia, Miller Plant Sci. Bldg., Athens, GA 30602-7272

^* Corresponding author (rboerma{at}uga.cc.uga.edu).

Plant lodging is a problem in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] production, particularly in high-yield environments. The brachytic stem trait (sbl sb2) reduces plant stature while maintaining the number of nodes for fruiting and may be desirable in the development of lodging-resistant cultivars. To determine the effects of brachytic stem on seed yield, plant height, and other agronomic traits across a range of environments, this trait was backcrossed into ‘Wright’ and ‘GaSoy 17’, and the near-isogenic lines (isolines) were evaluated in 57 (Wright) and 36 (GaSoy 17) environments. Averaged across environments, the height of brachytic Wright (B-Wright) was 56% of its normal-stemmed isoline and that of brachytic GaSoy 17 (B-GaSoy 17) was 66% of its isoline. In a combined analysis over environments, brachytic genotypes averaged 37% shorter internode length, 5% fewer nodes, and 7% smaller seed weight than normal-stemmed isolines. Brachytic and normal-stemmed isolines did not differ in yield, seed protein concentration, or seed oil concentration. There was a genotype x environment interaction (P < 0.01) for yield for both isoline pairs. Regression analysis of yield stability indicated that the GaSoy 17 isolines were equally stable across environments (similar coefficients and R² values). For B-Wright, however, a smaller regression coefficient (b = 0.82 ± 0.07) than Wright (b = 1.07 ± 0.05) and a lower R² value (70 vs. 89%) suggest that Wright yielded higher in favorable environments and was more stable in yield performance. Plant height of brachytic lines was much less stable than for normal-stemmed lines. Genotypes with the brachytic stem trait produced yields similar to normal-stemmed genotypes in environments not highly conducive to lodging. The reduced stability of yield and plant height for brachytic-stemmed genotypes must be considered (along with the expected increase in yield in lodging-prone environments) prior to commercial acceptance.