Abstract
Reduction of linolenic acid content in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] oil is associated with improved odor and flavor characteristics. The mutant M-5 and line IL-8 used in this study were identified with linolenic acid contents (4.63 % and 4.50 %, respectively) half that of Bay (8.02 %), but similar to that of C1640 (4.58 %). The objective of this study was to determine the inheritance of low linolenic acid content in IL-8, and to determine the genetic relationships among alleles controlling linolenic acid in M-5, IL-8 and C1640. Reciprocal crosses were made among M-5, C1640, IL-8, and Bay. The F2 segregation ratio and the segregation of F3 seeds from F2 plants of M-5×Bay, C1640×Bay, and IL-8×Bay indicated that M-5, C1640, and IL-8 have alleles at a single locus. The F2 plants from the crosses of M-5×IL-8, M-5×C1640, and C1640×IL-8, did not transgressively segregate indicating the low linolenic acid contents in M-5, IL-8, and C1640 were controlled by the same alleles. Therefore, the alleles in M-5, IL-8, and C1640 have been designated fan (M-5), fan (IL-8), and fan (C1640), respectively.
