A major quantitative trait locus (QTL) controlling pod dehiscence (shattering) in soybean, designated
qPDH1, has previously been identified using progeny of shattering-resistant cultivars derived from a Thai cultivar, SJ2. The QTL was located near a simple sequence repeat marker, Sat_366, on linkage group J. To determine whether shattering-resistance genes originating from different resources are located at
qPDH1 in general, we conducted genetic analysis using DNA markers for several populations. In an F
2 population derived from a cross between a shattering-susceptible cultivar, Toyomusume, and a shattering-resistant cultivar, Harosoy, a major QTL for pod dehiscence was identified in the region near
qPDH1, which was confirmed in the progeny of F
4:5 populations. A major QTL was identified near
qPDH1 also in F
2 populations derived from crosses including Wasekogane and Kariyutaka as shattering-resistant parents. The heterozygous genotypes at the QTL showed high degrees of pod dehiscence, suggesting that shattering resistance behaves as a nearly recessive trait. In F
2 populations derived from crosses between shattering-resistant cultivars, heterozygous genotypes at the Sat_366 locus were shattering-resistant. These results suggest that shattering-resistant cultivars harbor recessive shattering-resistance allele(s) at
qPDH1 regardless of their origin and that molecular markers near
qPDH1 could be used for marker-assisted selection for shattering resistance in soybean.
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