Speakers - 2026

Title: Integrating speed breeding and molecular marker validation for early flowering and yield improvement in soybean

Abstract

Soybean is a key global crop with increasing demand for sustainable production and improved yield stability. Understanding the genetic basis of agronomic traits such as flowering time and yield, and accelerating their selection, remains a major challenge in breeding programs. This study integrates phenotypic evaluation, heritability analysis, and molecular marker validation within an accelerated breeding framework.

Initial evaluations were conducted on four soybean accessions under field and greenhouse conditions in Ecuador, revealing significant phenotypic variation across environments. High heritability was observed for days to flowering (0.85), moderate for plant height (0.55) and yield (0.40), indicating a strong genetic component for key traits and their potential for stable selection. An insertion–deletion (InDel) polymorphism was identified within the orthologous sequence of the GIGANTEA gene in the earliest-flowering accession, suggesting a candidate marker associated with flowering time.

Building on these findings, currently the project focuses on the validation of this molecular marker across soybean germplasm from Bangladesh, alongside the implementation of a speed breeding system. A low-cost controlled-environment growth chamber has been designed and is currently under validation, enabling accelerated generation turnover and rapid phenotyping under reproducible conditions. In parallel, molecular marker validation is underway through DNA extraction, PCR amplification, and genotyping across multiple biological replicates.

This integrated approach combines genetic analysis and technological innovation to enhance selection efficiency in soybean breeding. The validation of a candidate molecular marker for early flowering, together with accelerated phenotyping, provides a scalable strategy to improve crop adaptation and productivity under diverse environmental conditions.

Keywords: soybean, speed breeding, molecular markers, flowering time, heritability, phenotypic plasticity