Evaluation of seed amino acid content and its correlation network analysis in wild soybean (Glycine soja) germplasm in Japan

Abstract

AbstractWild soybean (Glycine soja) is a valuable genetic resource for soybean improvement. Seed composition profiles provide beneficial information for the effective conservation and utilization of wild soybeans. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the variation in free amino acid abundance in the seeds of wild soybean germplasm collected in Japan. The free amino acid content in the seeds from 316 accessions of wild soybean ranged from 0.965 to 5.987 mg/g seed dry weight (DW), representing a 6.2-fold difference. Three amino acids had the highest coefficient of variation (CV): asparagine (1.15), histidine (0.95) and glutamine (0.94). Arginine (0.775 mg/g DW) was the predominant amino acid in wild soybean seeds, whereas the least abundant seed amino acid was glutamine (0.008 mg/g DW). A correlation network revealed significant positive relationships among most amino acids. Wild soybean seeds from different regions of origin had significantly different levels of several amino acids. In addition, a significant correlation between latitude and longitude of the collection sites and the total free amino acid content of seeds was observed. Our study reports diverse phenotypic data on the free amino acid content in seeds of wild soybean resources collected from throughout Japan. This information will be useful in conservation programmes for Japanese wild soybean and for the selection of accessions with favourable characteristics in future legume crop improvement efforts.