ICS Reveals Soybean's Genetic Adaptability Across Latitudes

A collaborative international study, led by Dr. Junming Sun at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and featuring contributions from the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and Bayero University Kano, has uncovered significant insights into the genetic mechanisms behind soybean's adaptability to different latitudes. Published in BMC Plant Biology, the research provides a comprehensive understanding of the natural variation in domestication-related genes that have contributed to the soybean's latitudinal expansion and adaptation.

Soybean, a staple crop originating from the temperate climate of the Huang-Huai-Hai region in China, has shown remarkable adaptability across a wide latitudinal gradient. This study, involving 2,898 soybean accessions from 25 countries, examined genetic variations in 14 major gene loci that control flowering and maturity. The findings reveal that specific gene combinations, including E1, E3, FT2a, J, Tof11, Tof16, and Tof18, have been favored during soybean improvement and selection, accounting for 75.5% of the flowering time phenotypic variation. Their work has led to the development of geographical evolution models that can accurately predict suitable planting zones for different soybean varieties. Understanding the genetic basis of environmental adaptation in soybean accessions is crucial for developing climate-smart molecular breeding strategies. Our study not only contributes to the comprehension of soybean's domestication history but also facilitates the breeding of soybean varieties that are optimally adapted to various environments.

The research was conducted by Associate Researcher Li Jing and graduated Master's student Li Yecheng as the co-first authors of the paper, and Researcher Sun Junming as the corresponding author. Editorial contributions were significantly enhanced by Kwadwo Gyapong Agyenim-Boateng from the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague and Abdulwahab Saliu Shaibu from Bayero University Kano. Financial support for this research was provided by the National Natural Science Foundation.

The geographical distribution of specific soybean gene combinations and their correlation with latitude.