cated that soybean PIs may have alleles for enhanced seed yield. Improving seed yield of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is an Molecular marker analysis can aid in the discovery important breeding goal. The objective of this study was to evaluate and mapping of QTL associated with beneficial and two soybean PIs as sources of alleles for the enhancement of seed novel alleles from exotic parents. For example, in soyyield in North American cultivars. A population of 167 F 5 -derived lines was developed from a cross between 'BSR 101' and the experi-bean, two populations of recombinant inbred lines mental line LG82-8379. BSR 101 has nine of 10 major ancestral lines (RILs) derived from 'Minsoy' and 'Archer', and 'Noir 1' contributing to the commercial gene pool of North America, while and Archer (Orf et al., 1999) have been used extensively LG82-8379 was selected from a cross between PI 68508 and FC for the identification of QTL governing agronomic and 04007B. The F 5 -derived lines, divided into three sets based on matuseed composition traits utilizing molecular markers (Orf rity, were evaluated for 145 polymorphic simple sequence repeat et al., 1999; Terry et al., 2000; VanToai et al., 2001). In (SSR) marker loci and for seed yield and other agronomic traits in 12 one study comparing these two RIL populations, Orf environments. Fifteen quantitative trait loci (QTL) were significantly et al. (1999) identified QTL for plant height, lodging, [P Ͻ 0.05, likelihood of odds (LOD) Ͼ 2.5] associated with seed yield days to flowering and maturity, reproductive period, in at least one set with two significant across all sets. For nine of the seed yield, seed weight, and seed oil and protein concenyield QTL, the LG82-8379 alleles were associated with yield increases tration. At many of the QTL identified in this study, of 1.7 to 5.4% while the BSR 101 alleles increased yield 2.4 to 4.4% at six yield QTL. Four yield QTL were associated with significant the beneficial or novel alleles were those provided by changes in R8, eight with plant height, and three with seed protein Minsoy and Noir 1. Minsoy and Noir 1 are divergent concentration. Additional QTL were identified for R8, plant height, in lineage from each other and from North American lodging, and seed protein and oil concentration. These results indicate A soybean population consisting of 167 indeterminate F 5 -
