Agronomic and Seed Traits of Soybean Lines Containing the High‐Oleate Transgene DP‐305423‐1

ABSTRACT Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] lines homozygous for the transgene DP‐305423‐1 have elevated oleate concentrations. It has been reported that the mean seed yield of lines with the transgene was significantly less than that of lines without the transgene from the same populations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the DP‐305423‐1 transgene in multiple genetic backgrounds to determine if the yield reduction was unique to those populations previously studied. There were 27 high‐oleate, normal‐linolenate (HONL) and 27 normal‐oleate, normal‐linolenate (NONL) F3:5 lines from each of five single‐cross populations evaluated in replicated trials in Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio in 2011. On average, the HONL lines had a mean oleate concentration of 821 g kg−1 compared with 255 g kg−1 for the NONL lines. The mean yield of the HONL lines was significantly less than the NONL lines in all of the populations by an average of 4.6%. Of the top 10 highest yielding lines in each of the populations, an average of 12% were HONL lines and 88% were NONL lines. The HONL lines also had significantly lower seed weight, higher protein, and lower oil, palmitate, stearate, linoleate, and linolenate concentrations than the NONL lines in all of the populations. The results indicated that the negative impact of the transgene on seed yield was consistent across multiple genetic backgrounds, which will have an influence on the development of HONL cultivars that yield as well as NONL cultivars.