Genetic diversity and detection of Kunitz protein in local soybean varieties

Abstract

South Africa produces 190 000 tonnes of soybean per annum. Seed producing companies require knowledge of the diversity of the germplasm to produce hybrids that will be competitive in local and overseas markets. Furthermore, they need to ascertain the presence/absence of the anti-nutritional factor, Kunitz trypsin inhibitor protein. Currently, seed producing companies plant the seed and wait for the grow-out in order to select desirable traits. This process is time-consuming, tedious and does not necessarily ensure the selection of the best genetic stability as it is based on phenotypic expression alone. This study was undertaken to evaluate a molecular method to determine the genetic diversity among soybean parent lines and optimize a method which can be used to evaluate seeds for the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor protein