2019 journal article
Registration of USDA-N6003LP Soybean Germplasm with Low Seed Phytate
JOURNAL OF PLANT REGISTRATIONS, 13(3), 427–432.
Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] meal is the main source of protein in poultry and swine rations worldwide. Phytate, the main storage form of phosphorous in soybean meal, is largely indigestible by monogastric animals and, thus, a major concern both for nutrition and for environmental pollution. USDA‐N6003LP (Reg. no. GP‐435, PI 689999) is a low‐phytate (LP) determinate, lodging‐resistant early maturity group (MG) VI soybean germplasm developed and released jointly by the USDA‐ARS and the North Carolina Agricultural Research Service. USDA‐N6003LP is derived from a backcross (BC1) between recurrent parent ‘NC‐Roy’ and LP donor line USDA CX1834. NC‐Roy is a high‐yielding MG VI cultivar adapted to the southern United States. USDA‐N6003LP has 60% lower phytate and 4.8 times higher inorganic phosphorus (Pi) contents in its seed than the seed of NC‐Roy. It matures approximately 5 d earlier and has larger seed size and better lodging resistance (P < 0.05) compared with NC‐Roy. Across 17 environments in the USDA Uniform Soybean Tests, Southern States and over four local yield trials in North Carolina, USDA‐N6003LP yielded 91 and 97% of NC‐Roy, respectively. Field emergences of this line in four tests in NC were 79 to 80% compared with 89 to 90% for NC‐Roy. USDA‐N6003LP is the first early MG VI LP germplasm release with good agronomic performance and relatively normal field emergence. It will be useful as parental stock for soybean breeders interested in developing LP soybean cultivars.