Heterosis and inbreeding depression in three soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] crosses

Abstract

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] is ranked number one in the world oil production (48%) in the international trade markets among the major oil crops [1]. The wild soybean is rich in seed protein (31.1-52.4%) but poor in oil composition (9.1-11.95%) [2], while the cultivated soybean is important crop, due to its high seed protein (38-43%) and rich edible oil content (18-24%), and is gaining importance due to the increasing demand for various soy products. To satisfy the increasing demand of soybean, its yield potential has to be increased by genetic improvement of the existing commercial lines, which requires thorough understanding of the breeding behavior of quantitative traits. Thus, an attempt was made to study some of the quantitative traits, of some promising cultivated varieties of soybean by crossing them.