Abstract
Soybean is a leguminous crop that provides oil and protein. Exploring the genomic signatures of soybean evolution is crucial for breeding varieties with improved adaptability to environmental extremes. We analyzed the genome sequences of 2,214 soybeans and proposed a soybean evolutionary route, i.e., the expansion of annual wild soybean (Glycine soja Sieb. & Zucc.) from southern China and its domestication in central China, followed by the expansion and local breeding selection of its landraces (G. max (L.) Merr.). We observed that the genetic introgression in soybean landraces was mostly derived from sympatric rather than allopatric wild populations during the geographic expansion. Soybean expansion and breeding were accompanied by the positive selection of flowering time genes, including GmSPA3c. Our study sheds light on the evolutionary history of soybean and provides valuable genetic resources for its future breeding.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2021YFD1201601, 2016YFD0100201, 2020YFE0202300), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32072091), the Platform of National Crop Germplasm Resources of China (2016-004, 2017-004, 2018-004, 2019-04, 2020-05), the Crop Germplasm Resources Protection (2016NWB036-05, 2017NWB036-05, 2018NWB036-05, 2019NWB036-05), the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program (ASTIP) of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS-ZDRW202109). We thank the Core Facility Platform, Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences (CAAS), for assistance with sequencing.
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Li, YH., Qin, C., Wang, L. et al. Genome-wide signatures of the geographic expansion and breeding of soybean. Sci. China Life Sci. 66, 350–365 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-022-2158-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-022-2158-7