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Substantial improvements in access to food and increased purchasing power are driving many people toward consuming nutrition-rich foods causing an unprecedented demand for protein food worldwide, which is expected to rise further. Forage legumes form an important source of feed for livestock and have potential to provide a sustainable solution for food and protein security. Currently, alfalfa is a commercially grown source of forage and feed in many countries. However, soybean and cowpea also have the potential to provide quality forage and fodder for animal use. The cultivation of forage legumes is under threat from changing climatic conditions, indicating the need for breeding cultivars that can sustain and acclimatize to the negative effects of climate change. Recent progress in genetic and genomic tools have facilitated the identification of quantitative trait loci and genes/alleles that can aid in developing forage cultivars through genomics-assisted breeding. Furthermore, transgenic technology can be utilized to manipulate the genetic makeup of plants to improve forage digestibility for better animal performance. In this article, we assess the genetic potential of three important legume crops, alfalfa, soybean, and cowpea in supplying quality fodder and feed for livestock. In addition, we examine the impact of climate change on forage quality and discuss efforts made in enhancing the adaptation of the plant to the abiotic stress conditions. Subsequently, we suggest the application of integrative approaches to achieve adequate forage production amid the unpredictable climatic conditions.

Vegetative indices (VIs) are widely used in high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) for the assessment of plant growth conditions; however, a range of VIs among diverse soybeans is still an unexplored research area. For this reason, we investigated a range of four major VIs: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), photochemical reflectance index (PRI), anthocyanin reflectance index (ARI), and change to carotenoid reflectance index (CRI) in diverse soybean accessions. Furthermore, we ensured the correct positioning of the region of interest (ROI) on the soybean leaf and clarified the effect of choosing different ROI sizes. We also developed a Python algorithm for ROI selection and automatic VIs calculation. According to our results, each VI showed diverse ranges (NDVI: 0.60–0.84, PRI: −0.03 to 0.05, ARI: −0.84 to 0.85, CRI: 2.78–9.78) in two different growth stages. The size of pixels in ROI selection did not show any significant difference. In contrast, the shaded part and the petiole part had significant differences compared with the non-shaded and tip, side, and center of the leaf, respectively. In the case of the Python algorithm, algorithm-derived VIs showed a high correlation with the ENVI software-derived value: NDVI −0.97, PRI −0.96, ARI −0.98, and CRI −0.99. Moreover, the average error was detected to be less than 2.5% in all these VIs than in ENVI.

In addition to proteins and/or oils, mature seeds of most legume crops contain important carbohydrate components, including starches and sugars. Starch is also an essential nutritional component of human and animal diets and has various food and non-food industrial applications. Starch is a primary insoluble polymeric carbohydrate produced by higher plants and consists of amylose and amylopectin as a major fraction. Legume seeds are an affordable source of not only protein but also the starch, which has an advantage of being resistant starch compared with cereal, root, and tuber starch. For these reasons, legume seeds form a good source of resistant starch-rich healthy food with a high protein content and can be utilized in various food applications. The genetics and molecular details of starch and other carbohydrate components are well studied in cereal crops but have received little attention in legumes. In order to improve legume starch content, quality, and quantity, it is necessary to understand the genetic and molecular factors regulating carbohydrate metabolism in legume crops. In this review, we assessed the current literature reporting the genetic and molecular basis of legume carbohydrate components, primarily focused on seed starch content. We provided an overview of starch biosynthesis in the heterotrophic organs, the chemical composition of major consumable legumes, the factors influencing starch digestibility, and advances in the genetic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic studies in important legume crops. Further, we discussed breeding and biotechnological approaches for the improvement of the starch composition in major legume crops. The information reviewed in this study will be helpful in facilitating the food and non-food applications of legume starch and provide economic benefits to farmers and industries.

Wild soybean, which has many desirable traits, such as adaptability to climate change-related stresses, is a valuable resource for expanding the narrow genetic diversity of cultivated soybeans. Plants require roots to adapt to different environments and optimize water and nutrient uptake to support growth and facilitate the storage of metabolites; however, it is challenging and costly to evaluate root traits under field conditions. Previous studies of quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been mainly based on cultivated soybean populations. In this study, an interspecific mapping population from a cross between wild soybean ‘PI483463’ and cultivar ‘Hutcheson’ was used to investigate QTLs associated with root traits using image data. Our results showed that 39 putative QTLs were distributed across 10 chromosomes (chr.). Seventeen of these were clustered in regions on chr. 8, 14, 15, 16, and 17, accounting for 19.92% of the phenotypic variation. We identified five significant QTL clusters influencing root-related traits, such as total root length, surface area, lateral total length, and number of tips, across five chr., with favorable alleles from both wild and cultivated soybeans. Furthermore, we identified eight candidate genes controlling these traits based on functional annotation. These genes were highly expressed in root tissues and directly or indirectly affected soybean root growth, development, and stress responses. Our results provide valuable insights for breeders aiming to optimize soybean root traits and leveraging genetic diversity from wild soybean species to develop varieties with improved root morphological traits, ultimately enhancing overall plant growth, productivity, and resilience.

Background Soybean is an extensively utilized oilseed crop, and improved cultivars and cultivation efficiency of soybean have contributed to the increased use of soybean in edible oil applications. The food industry necessitates the development of soybean oil with an optimized balance of polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids to meet both nutritional requirements and industrial applications. Results This study aimed to elucidate the protein structure and functional characterization of a novel allele of KASII-A derived from an EMS-induced mutant line and assess its potential as a genetic resource for developing soybean cultivars with elevated saturated fatty acid composition. Sequence variation in the KASII-A gene was evaluated for PE1544 (~ 16.1% palmitic acid composition), an EMS-induced mutant with high-palmitic acid. A single-nucleotide polymorphism was identified in the KASII-A gene of PE1544, resulting in an amino acid substitution from Gly309 to Asp309. Comparative analysis of three-dimensional protein structures revealed that Gly309 plays a critical role in stabilizing the catalytic residue in the KASII-A active site. Co-segregation analysis revealed that the novel allele was recessive to KASII-A and was associated with high-palmitic acid composition. Furthermore, we analyzed the F 2 population derived from the cross between the high-stearic acid line with homozygous recessive sacpd-c allele and PE1544. The F 2 progeny with both mutations exhibited a lower stearic acid composition compared to the single sacpd-c mutant. Notably, the F 2 progeny with both mutations exhibited a similar ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids (P/S index) compared to the single sacpd-c mutant. These findings suggest that KASII-A regulates the palmitic acid and stearic acid composition regardless of the total composition of saturated fatty acids in the single sacpd-c mutant. Comprehensively, the regulation of KASII-A in the single sacpd-c mutant is effective for the development of soybean oil with an ideal P/S index by regulating the content of palmitic and stearic acid while maintaining high-saturated fatty acids. Conclusion These results suggest that the conversion of palmitic acid to stearic acid is impaired due to the loss-of-function of KASII-A, indicating that the novel allele of KASII-A plays a crucial role in this biochemical conversion in soybean.

Soybean is important crop species in agriculture, food science, and biotechnology due to their valuable components. The exploration of soybean genetic traits is being highlighted for the advancement of research in various aspects. The utilization of plant biotechnology, plant protoplast techniques, for the study of genetic characteristics is being extended to various agricultural crop species. The quintessential goal of genetic characterization utilizing plant protoplasts encompasses the provision of stable plant protoplasts alongside the establishment of transfection condition. Despite the numerous studies on protoplast isolation, standardized and reliable soybean protoplasts protocols for comprehensive investigations into the intricate regulatory mechanisms governing immune responses, cellular processes, and developmental pathways remain insufficiently established. In this study, we propose an efficient methodology for the protoplast isolation and the PEG-Ca 2+ mediated transfection of soybean [ Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivar (Williams 82). The protoplast isolation entailed the evaluation of variables including mannitol concentration, enzyme mixture composition, and enzymatic digestion duration. The optimal conditions for hypocotyl-derived protoplast isolation were identified as 0.4 M mannitol, an enzyme mixture containing 1.5% (w/v) cellulase and 0.4% (w/v) macerozyme, and an 8-hour enzymatic digestion period, resulting in high viability and protoplast yield (>3.0 × 10 6 /g FW). For the PEG-Ca 2+ mediated transfection process, the parameters assessed including PEG concentration, plasmid quantify or purified recombinant proteins, and PEG-Ca 2+ incubation duration. The validation of the reliability of hypocotyl-derived protoplast system through transient gene expression demonstrates its utility as a robust platform for analysis of genetic traits in soybean. This could extend the scope of application to understanding the cell-to-cell interactions for physiological responses in soybean.

Roots are the hidden and most important part of plants. They serve as stabilizers and channels for uptaking water and nutrients and play a crucial role in the growth and development of plants. Here, two-dimensional image data were used to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling root traits in an interspecific mapping population derived from a cross between wild soybean ‘PI366121’ and cultivar ‘Williams 82’. A total of 2830 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were used for genotyping, constructing genetic linkage maps, and analyzing QTLs. Forty-two QTLs were identified on twelve chromosomes, twelve of which were identified as major QTLs, with a phenotypic variation range of 36.12% to 39.11% and a logarithm of odds value range of 12.01 to 17.35. Two significant QTL regions for the average diameter, root volume, and link average diameter root traits were detected on chromosomes 3 and 13, and both wild and cultivated soybeans contributed positive alleles. Six candidate genes, Glyma.03G027500 (transketolase/glycoaldehyde transferase), Glyma.03G014500 (dehydrogenases), Glyma.13G341500 (leucine-rich repeat receptor-like protein kinase), Glyma.13G341400 (AGC kinase family protein), Glyma.13G331900 (60S ribosomal protein), and Glyma.13G333100 (aquaporin transporter) showed higher expression in root tissues based on publicly available transcriptome data. These results will help breeders improve soybean genetic components and enhance soybean root morphological traits using desirable alleles from wild soybeans.

To implement specific actions to respond to challenges accompanied by technological advances, it is essential to realize the foreseen future at different levels. This study aims to generate the forecasts of different prospects of different industries, labor market, and households, depending on the pervasiveness of the information and communication (ICT) software (SW) in production. For the analysis, we propose a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model that explicitly incorporates diverse impact channels induced by ICT SW investments. Our simulation results suggest that the development of ICT SW technology can bring about both opportunities and challenges in the economic system. The results also show that advancements in ICT SW can aggravate inequalities within the economic system, while driving higher economic growth effects by accelerating the polarization of the labor market and wages/income distributions. Accordingly, our results suggest that policymakers should formulate tailored policy options to mitigate structural problems and widen income disparities driven by ICT-specific technological advances to achieve economic inclusiveness.

• 2,3-Dihydro-2,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl-4H-pyran-4-one (DDMP) saponins are one of the major saponin groups that are widely distributed in legumes such as pea, barrel medic, chickpea, and soybean. The steps involved in DDMP saponin biosynthesis remain uncharacterized at the molecular level. • We isolated two recessive mutants that lack DDMP saponins from an ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mutant population of soybean cultivar Pungsannamul. • Segregation analysis showed that the production of DDMP saponins is controlled by a single locus, named Sg-9. The locus was physically mapped to a 130-kb region on chromosome 16. Nucleotide sequence analysis of candidate genes in the region revealed that each mutant has a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the Glyma.16G033700 encoding a UDP-glycosyltransferase UGT73B4. Enzyme assays and mass spectrum-coupled chromatographic analysis reveal that the Sg-9 protein has glycosyltransferase activity, converting sapogenins and group B saponins to glycosylated products, and that mutant proteins had only partial activities. The tissue-specific expression profile of Sg-9 matches the accumulation pattern of DDMP saponins. • This is the first report on a new gene and its function in the biosynthesis of DDMP saponins. Our findings indicate that Sg-9 encodes a putative DDMP transferase that plays a critical role in the biosynthesis of DDMP saponins.

This study examines the evolution of product-based technological trajectories by linking technology and socioeconomic factors. Products evolve to adapt to market conditions in a manner similar to biological evolution, and form a constant trajectory under the influence of the current technological paradigm. This study analyzes the changes in technological trajectories after the emergence of a dominant design in the core weapon of the army—armored tanks. Based on a case study of the evolution of tanks between 1915 and 1998 and the application of principal component analysis (PCA, to transform technological characteristics of tanks into product performance) and K-means clustering (to classify the types of tanks based on the PCA), we find that tanks have evolved into a common pattern of product evolution and the main battle tank concept plays a role as the dominant design. In addition, military tactical doctrines and capability requirements are used to explain the socioeconomic factors at the core of the technological paradigm behind tank development. We argue that the interaction between science, technology, and the social element is responsible for product evolution. In the case of tanks, moreover, we show that the product evolution process follows continuous changes in the technological trajectory resulting from technological advances. This study also derives policy implications for weapons system acquisition.