Most soybean cultivars have ovate leaflets, although a few cultivars have narrow or lanceolate leaflets. Narrow leaflet cultivars tend to have more seeds produced per pod than ovate leaflet cultivars, suggesting that the narrow leaflet trait is tightl...
Most soybean cultivars have ovate leaflets, although a few cultivars have narrow or lanceolate leaflets. Narrow leaflet cultivars tend to have more seeds produced per pod than ovate leaflet cultivars, suggesting that the narrow leaflet trait is tightly linked to or cosegregating with the trait controlling number of seeds produced per pod (nspp). The objective of this study was to construct a high resolution map of a chromosomal region controlling narrow leaflet and nspp trait in soybean. A BC3F2 population from a cross between ‘Sowonkong’ and ‘V94-5152’ was used. Sowonkong have narrow leaflet and 4-seeded pod and V94-5152 have ovate leaflet and do not have 4-seeded pod. The plants of F2 populations showed a segregation ratio of 3 : 1 of ovate leaflet to narrow leaflet and then leaflet genotypes were obtained from F2:3 population of each F2 individual. The narrow leaflet-containing plants showed Sowonkong-like pod trait and the ovate leaflet-containing plants V94-5152-like pod trait. Subsequently, we mapped the narrow leaflet locus between Sca-1a and Sat_268 on soybean linkage group I that corresponds with the previously known ln locus. The results suggested that, in our mapping population, a single gene controls inheritance of the narrow leaflet character and nspp. In addition, although progeny of several controversal F2 individuals need to be re-investigated, the narrow leaflet trait is tightly linked to the trait controlling nspp or both phenotypes are pleiotropic effects of a single gene. Our results should facilitate further elucidation for the relationship between ln and nspp.