Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] lines with the transgenic event DP‐305423‐1 produce a high‐oleate oil and those with the fan1(C1640) and fan3(RG10) alleles produce a low‐linolenate oil. The objective of this study was to evaluate the agronomic and seed traits of high‐oleate and low‐linolenate (HOLL) lines, high‐oleate and normal‐linolenate (HONL) lines, and normal‐oleate and normal‐linolenate (NONL) lines selected from four single‐cross populations segregating for the three genes. A minimum of 14 F3:5 lines of each class in the four populations were evaluated in five environments during 2009. The mean fatty ester concentrations averaged across populations were 786 g kg−1 oleate and 24 g kg−1 linolenate for the HOLL lines, 784 g kg−1 oleate and 56 g kg−1 linolenate for the HONL lines, and 226 g kg−1 oleate and 75 g kg−1 linolenate for the NONL lines. The mean yield of the NONL lines was significantly greater than the HOLL lines by 4.5% and the HONL lines by 3.0%. Of the 10 highest yielding lines in each population, 60% were NONL, 25% HOLL, and 15% HONL, which indicated that it would be possible to select cultivars of both classes that yield as well as NONL cultivars. The overlap among the three classes in the distributions of lines for protein, oil, seed weight, maturity, height, and lodging indicated that it would be possible to develop HOLL and HONL cultivars comparable to NONL cultivars for those traits.

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] lines homozygous for the transgene DP‐305423‐1 have elevated oleate concentrations. It has been reported that the mean seed yield of lines with the transgene was significantly less than that of lines without the transgene from the same populations. The objective of this study was to evaluate the DP‐305423‐1 transgene in multiple genetic backgrounds to determine if the yield reduction was unique to those populations previously studied. There were 27 high‐oleate, normal‐linolenate (HONL) and 27 normal‐oleate, normal‐linolenate (NONL) F3:5 lines from each of five single‐cross populations evaluated in replicated trials in Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio in 2011. On average, the HONL lines had a mean oleate concentration of 821 g kg−1 compared with 255 g kg−1 for the NONL lines. The mean yield of the HONL lines was significantly less than the NONL lines in all of the populations by an average of 4.6%. Of the top 10 highest yielding lines in each of the populations, an average of 12% were HONL lines and 88% were NONL lines. The HONL lines also had significantly lower seed weight, higher protein, and lower oil, palmitate, stearate, linoleate, and linolenate concentrations than the NONL lines in all of the populations. The results indicated that the negative impact of the transgene on seed yield was consistent across multiple genetic backgrounds, which will have an influence on the development of HONL cultivars that yield as well as NONL cultivars.

Insoybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], seed oil concentration is a complex quantitative trait, and genomic selection (GS) has been shown to be a valuable tool for performing selection on such traits. The objectives of this study were to evaluate multiple GS models for seed oil concentration using a low-density marker panel in four biparental soybean populations and to assess predictive ability of the models using six unique training populations (TPs). Individuals were grown as BC 1 F 4 :F 5 progeny rows in 2014. Genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) were calculated for each genotype within a population using genomic best linear unbiased predictor (GBLUP), BayesA, and BayesB models in a biparental specific context. In 2015, 60 individuals from each population were randomly selected and grown at six locations with two replications each to generate a "true" phenotypic value for each genotype. Prediction accuracies for each estimation set were generated by correlating the GEBVs with the "true" phenotypic value. Across all populations, the GS prediction accuracy was greatest using GBLUP; however, no GS prediction model showed a significant advantage in accuracy over the phenotypic values. Generally, TPs consisting of more individuals had higher prediction accuracies; however, variations were observed across populations and models. The results show that GS in a biparental context and with low marker densities can be a valuable tool for breeders focused on making gains for oil concentration; however, consideration must be given as to how to apply these methods to each situation.

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] lines with the transgene DP‐305423‐1 produce oil with a high oleate concentration that is desirable for oxidative stability. It is important for commercial production to understand the oleate concentration that can be expected when cultivars with the transgene are grown over a range of environmental conditions. The objective of our study was to evaluate the environmental stability of oleate concentration for lines with the transgene in comparison to that of lines without the transgene. Three high‐oleate, normal‐linolenate (HONL); six high‐oleate, low‐linolenate (HOLL); three mid‐oleate, low‐linolenate (MOLL); three normal‐oleate, low‐linolenate (NOLL); and three normal‐oleate, normal‐linolenate (NONL) lines were evaluated across 18 environments during 2010 and 2011. The mean oleate concentration of all the lines ranged from 529 to 643 g kg−1 among the environments. The mean oleate concentration across environments was 842 g kg−1 for HONL, 826 g kg−1 for HOLL, 536 g kg−1 for MOLL, 262 g kg−1 for NOLL, and 238 g kg−1 for NONL lines. The range in oleate concentrations among environments averaged 73 g kg−1 for HONL, 128 g kg−1 for HONL, 148 g kg−1 for MOLL, 153 g kg−1 for NOLL, and 108 g kg−1 for NONL lines. The results indicated that the consistency in oleate concentrations across a range of production environments for cultivars with the DP‐305423‐1 transgene would be equal or superior to cultivars without the transgene.

The DP‐305423‐1 transgene elevates oleic acid concentration and reduces polyunsaturated fatty acids in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] oil, resulting in increased oxidative stability. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of the DP‐305423‐1 transgene on agronomic and seed traits using four backcross derived soybean populations to provide further understanding of the transgene's influence across varying genetic backgrounds and environments. An equal number of high‐oleic, low‐linolenic (HOLL) and normal‐oleic, low‐linolenic (NOLL) progeny from four BC1F4:F6 populations—B (n = 30), C (n = 22), D (n = 56), and E (n = 34)—were grown across six locations in 2015. Across all locations, the high‐oleic (HO) progeny had a mean yield 77 kg ha−1 less in Population B, and 382 kg ha−1 greater in Population C compared with the normal‐oleic (NO) class. There was no significant difference in yield between HO and NO in Populations D and E. The HO progeny had a significantly lower mean oil concentration and greater protein concentration than the NO class in all populations, whereas 100‐seed weight of the HO class was, on average, greater than in the NO class. The results provide evidence that the reduction in oil concentration is associated with the HO phenotype in the progeny carrying the DP‐3054231‐1 transgene and demonstrate no consistent effect of the transgene on seed yield, suggesting that differences may be due to the genetic background of the population studied.