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Drought stress, which is becoming more prevalent due to climate change, is a significant abiotic factor that adversely impacts crop production and yield stability. Cultivated soybean (Glycine max), a versatile crop for humans and animals, exhibits sensitivity to drought, resulting in reduced growth and development under drought conditions. However, few genetic studies have assessed wild soybean's (Glycine soja) response to drought stress. In this work, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and analysis of wild soybean accessions to identify loci responsible for drought tolerance at the vegetative (n = 187) and the germination stages (n = 135) using the available resequencing data. The GWAS analysis of the leaf wilting score (LWS) identified eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosomes 10, 11, and 19. Of these, wild soybeans with both SNPs on chromosomes 10 (adenine) and 11 (thymine) produced lower LWS, indicating that these SNPs have an important role in the genetic effect on LWS for drought tolerance at the vegetative stage. At the germination stage, nine SNPs associated with five phenotypic measurements were identified on chromosomes 6, 9, 10, 13, 16, and 17, and the genomic regions identified at the germination stage were different from those identified for the LWS, supporting our previous finding that there may not be a robust correlation between the genes influencing phenotypes at the germination and vegetative stages. This research will benefit marker-assisted breeding programs aimed at enhancing drought tolerance in soybeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy from photovoltaic power plants has increased in amount globally as an alternative energy to combat global climate change by reducing fossil fuel burning and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The agro-photovoltaic (APV) approach can be a solution to produce solar energy and crop production at the same time by installing solar panels on the same farmland to increase land use efficiency. This study aimed to compare the yield and yield components of rice (Oryza sativa L.) between a vertical APV system and a control field across two years. The solar panels were installed around the rice field in four directions of rice cultivation. Based on the analysis of variance, the primary factor influencing measured yield and yield components was the year effect, whereas the direction effect did not show significance, except for amylose content and ripened grains. Especially for rice production, the rice yield in 2023 was 6.8 t/ha, which was significantly higher by 0.8 t/ha than in 2022. Compared with the control condition, however, there was no significant negative impact on the year-to-year rice yield of the vertical APV system across two years. As rice yield was mainly affected by year, rice yield trials will be required for multiple years to understand the genetic and environmental factors influencing rice production under the vertical APV system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the skill structures of European countries and their transformations from the perspective of capability development. The constructed skill space illustrates the skill sets of European nations based on product space methodology by linking skill occupation and occupation–country data from 2011 to 2018. The results show that there are remarkable differences in skill structures among countries, and there is a strong path dependence in skill development. The findings suggest that skill convergence is unlikely to occur and that skill inequality among countries requires serious consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Roots are the hidden and most important part of plants. They serve as stabilizers and channels for uptaking water and nutrients and play a crucial role in the growth and development of plants. Here, two-dimensional image data were used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling root traits in an interspecific mapping population derived from a cross between wild soybean 'PI366121' and cultivar 'Williams 82'. A total of 2830 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were used for genotyping, constructing genetic linkage maps, and analyzing QTLs. Forty-two QTLs were identified on twelve chromosomes, twelve of which were identified as major QTLs, with a phenotypic variation range of 36.12% to 39.11% and a logarithm of odds value range of 12.01 to 17.35. Two significant QTL regions for the average diameter, root volume, and link average diameter root traits were detected on chromosomes 3 and 13, and both wild and cultivated soybeans contributed positive alleles. Six candidate genes, Glyma.03G027500 (transketolase/glycoaldehyde transferase), Glyma.03G014500 (dehydrogenases), Glyma.13G341500 (leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein kinase), Glyma.13G341400 (AGC kinase family protein), Glyma.13G331900 (60S ribosomal protein), and Glyma.13G333100 (aquaporin transporter) showed higher expression in root tissues based on publicly available transcriptome data. These results will help breeders improve soybean genetic components and enhance soybean root morphological traits using desirable alleles from wild soybeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a significant abiotic stress that limits crop production. Soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] are regarded as drought-sensitive. In the present study, the drought responses of wild soybean accessions were evaluated at different growth stages. Based on the leaf wilting index of 411 accessions at the vegetative stage, seven highly tolerant (HT) and 24 tolerant (T) accessions were identified, although most wild soybeans were classified as moderate (M), sensitive (S), and highly sensitive (HS) genotypes. In addition, with selected wild soybeans, stomatal density decreased in HT accessions but increased in HS accessions under drought conditions at the vegetative stage. However, for cultivated soybeans, the stomatal density of the drought-tolerant and drought-sensitive were not significantly different between the two conditions. The expression levels of drought-related transcriptional factors indicated that the HT genotype showed a higher expression level of drought-related genes than that of the HS genotype at the vegetative stage. At the reproductive stages, 12 wild soybeans randomly selected from HT, T, S, and HS based on assessment at the vegetative stage showed consistent drought responses with seed yield, root development, and water status. However, the extent of the detrimental effect of drought on the germination rates and root length of 165 wild soybeans at the germination stage varied depending on the genotype, indicating that there may not be a robust correlation between phenotypic measurements at the germination stage and drought-related assessments at the two growth stages. The information from this study can provide useful breeding materials for the development of drought-tolerant cultivars from wild soybeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to investigate the impact of product complexity on product lifetime. As product lifetime increases, firms have a longer time to develop new products and gain a higher return on investment. This study posits that product complexity has an effect on product lifetime and then investigates a product portfolio strategy for product complexity by using Korean mobile phone data released from 2004 to 2013. The impact of product complexity on product lifetime is investigated by pooled ordinary least squares regression. Then, we derive a product portfolio strategy that increases product complexity using panel data analysis. The results show that an increase in product complexity lengthens product lifetime and that a firm needs to design its product portfolio by concentrating its resources and capabilities on releasing products of the latest product type. The findings of this study can help a firm establish an optimal product portfolio that increases the return on investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the effects of two types of technological capabilities, i.e. implementation and design capabilities, across different industrial development stages, and coherent yet evolving innovation policies to foster each of the technological capabilities. This framework provides a theoretical basis to analyse the two different types of non-continuous transitions between the stages of industrial development. It also explains that these transitions come from the accumulation of technological capability led by deliberate policy intervention to manage the transition process. The Korean industrial development experience shows how the country's innovation policies and following upgrades in technological capability led to successful transitions of industries. The lessons from Korean development provide strong policy implications to countries facing slowdowns during industrial transitions, and explain the slowdowns from the perspective of two distinct technological capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trypsin inhibitors (TIs) in soybean seeds reduce the availability of processed soybean foods and animal feed. This study aimed to evaluate the trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) in 999 Korean soybean accessions and conduct molecular characterization of soybean accessions with low TIA. TIA was evaluated using colorimetric analysis through a substrate–enzyme reaction. The average TIA of the 999 soybean accessions was 90.31%, ranging from 43.70% to 99.51%. Kunitz trypsin inhibitor 3 (KTi-3) gene target sequencing analysis was performed on seven soybean germplasm accessions (IT105782, IT170889, IT273590, IT274513, IT274515, IT276197, and IT022891) showing less than 60% TIA. Four soybean accessions (IT274513, IT274515, IT276197, and IT022891) exhibited the same mutations (a G-to-T transversion and an AG deletion) in the KTi-3 gene (Glyma.08g341500) in PI542044. In addition, whole-genome re-sequencing was performed on three soybean accessions with no mutations in the KTi-3 gene. Compared with the reference soybean genome, an in-frame insertion and five missense mutations were identified in the coding sequencing of the KTi-1 gene (Glyma.01g09500) in IT105782. A RT-qPCR analysis showed that the mRNA expression level of KTi-1 was reduced by approximately 17% in IT105782 during seed development. In this study, we identified a previously unreported mutation in the KTi-1 gene and developed a KASP marker using this new KTi-1 variant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine the genetic relationship between the oleic acid and protein content. The genotypes having high oleic acid and elevated protein (HOEP) content were crossed with five elite lines having normal oleic acid and average protein (NOAP) content. The selected accessions were grown at six environments in three different locations and phenotyped for protein, oil, and fatty acid components. The mean protein content of parents, HOEP, and NOAP lines was 34.6%, 38%, and 34.9%, respectively. The oleic acid concentration of parents, HOEP, and NOAP lines was 21.7%, 80.5%, and 20.8%, respectively. The HOEP plants carried both FAD2-1A (S117N) and FAD2-1B (P137R) mutant alleles contributing to the high oleic acid phenotype. Comparative genome analysis using whole-genome resequencing data identified six genes having single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) significantly associated with the traits analyzed. A single SNP in the putative gene Glyma.10G275800 was associated with the elevated protein content, and palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids. The genes from the marker intervals of previously identified QTL did not carry SNPs associated with protein content and fatty acid composition in the lines used in this study, indicating that all the genes except Glyma.10G278000 may be the new genes associated with the respective traits. Key words: soybean, high oleic acid, elevated protein content, comparative genome analysis, whole-genome resequencing. L'objectif de ce travail etait de determiner la relation genetique entre les teneurs en acide oleique et en proteines. Des genotypes a teneur elevee en acide oleique et en proteines (HOEP) ont ete croisees avec des lignees elites presentant une teneur normale en acide oleique et une teneur moyenne en proteines (NOAP). Les accessions choisies ont ete cultivees dans six environnements sur trois sites et caracterisees pour leur teneur en proteine, en huile et en acides gras. Les teneurs moyennes en proteines chez les parents, HOEP et NOAP etaient respectivement de 34,6 %, 38 % et 34,9 %. Les concentrations en acide oleique chez les parents, HOEP et NOAP etaient respectivement de 21,7 %, 80,5 % et 20,8 %. Les plantes HOEP portaient deux alleles mutants, FAD2-1A (S117N) et FAD2-1B (P137R), contribuant au phenotype de forte teneur en acide oleique. Une analyse genomique comparee au moyen de donnees de re-sequencage pangenomique a identifie six genes presentant des polymorphismes mono-nucleotidiques (SNP) qui etaient significativement associes aux caracteres etudies. Un unique SNP situe dans le gene predit Glyma.10G275800 etait associe avec une teneur elevee en proteines, ainsi qu'en acides palmitiques, oleiques et linoleiques. Les genes situes dans des intervalles delimites par des marqueurs ayant precedemment permis d'identifier des QTL ne portaient pas de SNP associes avec la teneur en proteines et la composition en acides gras, ce qui suggere que tous les genes autres que Glyma.10G275800 pourraient constituer de nouveaux genes associes avec les caracteres respectifs. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles : soja, teneur elevee en acide oleique, teneur elevee en proteines, analyse genomique comparee, re-sequencage pangenomique., Introduction Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is an important leguminous crop, domesticated worldwide primarily for its high protein and oil content (Vuong et al. 2007). Soybean food products have become [...]

Weeds alone cause a 37% loss in attainable soybean production. Bentazone is a postemergence herbicide used to control broadleaf weeds in the cultivation of cereals, legumes, vegetables, and tuber crops. This study aimed to screen the Korean collections of cultivated soybeans in relation to bentazone, identifying the genetic loci controlling bentazone reactions to cultivated soybean collections using a genome-wide association study (GWAS). This study identified bentazone-tolerant and bentazone-sensitive soybean germplasms from 418 cultivated soybean germplasms and found that moderate bentazone tolerance predominated in the Korean collection of cultivated soybeans. The GWAS revealed that 42 SNPs distributed on chromosomes 3, 5, 6, 13, and 20 were strongly associated with the bentazone reaction in 418 cultivated soybean accessions over three years. Of these loci, a genomic region on chromosome 5 contained significant SNPs and was identified as being involved in the bentazone reaction in both 2020 and 2021, based on FarmCPU analysis. By conducting a haplotype analysis, this study identified five putative genes, namely, Glyma.05g145000 (ATP-binding cassette transporter), Glyma.05g145100 (unknown), Glyma.05g145200 (ankyrin repeat family protein), Glyma.05g145300 (transmembrane amino acid transporter protein), and Glyma.05g145400 (unknown). Further studies are required to confirm the involvement of the putative genes in the bentazone reaction by comparing their expression levels between bentazone-tolerant and bentazone-sensitive plants. Therefore, the results of this study can be used for marker-assisted selection in programs for the breeding of herbicide-tolerant soybeans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]