AUTHOR=Jia Qianru , Zhou Miaomiao , Xiong Yawen , Wang Junyan , Xu Donghe , Zhang Hongmei , Liu Xiaoqing , Zhang Wei , Wang Qiong , Sun Xin , Chen Huatao 

TITLE=Development of KASP markers assisted with soybean drought tolerance in the germination stage based on GWAS

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2024.1352379

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2024.1352379

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>Soybean [<italic>Glycine max</italic>(L.)Merr.] is a leading oil-bearing crop and cultivated globally over a vast scale. The agricultural landscape in China faces a formidable challenge with drought significantly impacting soybean production. In this study, we treated a natural population of 264 Chinese soybean accessions using 15% PEG-6000 and used GR, GE, GI, RGR, RGE, RGI and ASFV as evaluation index. Using the ASFV, we screened 17 strong drought-tolerant soybean germplasm in the germination stage. Leveraging 2,597,425 high-density SNP markers, we conducted Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) and identified 92 SNPs and 9 candidate genes significantly associated with drought tolerance. Furthermore, we developed two KASP markers for S14_5147797 and S18_53902767, which closely linked to drought tolerance. This research not only enriches the pool of soybean germplasm resources but also establishes a robust foundation for the molecular breeding of drought tolerance soybean varieties.</p>