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Sucrose is a desirable component of processed soybean foods and animal feed, and thus, its content is used as an important characteristic for assessing the quality of soybean seeds. However, few studies have focused on the quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with sucrose regulation in soybean seeds. This study aims to measure the sucrose content of 1014 soybean accessions and identify genes related to high sucrose levels using QTL analysis. Colorimetric analysis based on the enzymatic reaction of invertase (INV) and glucose oxidase (GOD) was employed to test the germplasms. A total of six high-sucrose genetic resources (IT186230, IT195321, IT263138, IT263276, IT263286, and IT276521) and two low-sucrose genetic resources (IT025668 and IT274054) were identified. Two F2:3 populations, IT186230 × IT025668 and Ilmi × IT186230, were then established from these germplasms. QTL analysis identified four QTLs (qSUC6.1, qSUC11.1, qSUC15.1, and qSUC17.1), explaining 7.3–27.6% of the phenotypic variation in the sugar content. Twenty candidate genes were found at the four QTLs. Notably, Glyma.17G152300, located in the qSUC17.1 QTL region, exhibited a 17-fold higher gene expression in the high-sucrose germplasm IT186230 compared to the control germplasm Ilmi, confirming its role as a major gene regulating the sucrose content in soybean. These results may assist in marker-assisted selection for breeding programs that aim to develop soybean lines with a higher sucrose content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivated soybean is an important legume crop that is generally sensitive to flooding stress, including submergence and waterlogging treatments. Wild soybeans, the ancestor of cultivated soybeans, have been potential genetic resources for resistance to abiotic or biotic stresses. The present study aimed to evaluate 163 wild soybean accessions for foliar damages at the early vegetative stage and 105 accessions for germination rates, normal seedling rates, and electrical conductivity at the germination stage under submergence stress. In addition, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to identify genomic regions associated with phenotypic measurements at these two growth stages by using MLM and FarmCPU models with publicly available genotypic data. The phenotypic evaluation revealed six and three accessions were tolerant to submergence at the early vegetative and germination stages, respectively. Notably, only one wild soybean accession showed a tolerance reaction to submergence at two stages. Through GWAS analysis, 16 and 20 SNPs across different chromosomes were determined for the submergence-related traits at the early vegetative and germination stages, respectively. Based on the linkage disequilibrium block on the detected genomic regions, ten and four putative genes were identified at the early vegetative and germination stages, respectively. Of these genes, certain genes may be related to submergence stress in wild soybeans. Further studies should be performed to validate the function of these putative genes in the responses of wild soybeans to submergence stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

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]

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]