Pod shape of twenty soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill) genotypes was evaluated quantitatively by image analysis using elliptic Fourier descriptors and their principal components. The closed contour of each pod projection was extracted, and 80 elliptic Fourier coefficients were calculated for each contour. The Fourier coefficients were standardized so that they were invariant of size, rotation, shift, and chain code starting point. Then, the principal components on the standardized Fourier coefficients were evaluated. The cumulative contribution at the fifth principal component was higher than 95~% , indicating that the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth principal components represented the aspect ratio of the pod, the location of the pod centroid, the sharpness of the two pod tips and the roundness of the base in the pod contour, respectively. Analysis of variance revealed significant genotypic differences in these principal components and seed number per pod. As the principal components for pod shape varied continuously, pod shape might be controlled by polygenes. It was concluded that principal component scores based on elliptic Fourier descriptors yield seemed to be useful in quantitative parameters not only for evaluating soybean pod shape in a soybean breeding program but also for describing pod shape for evaluating soybean germplasm.

Rehmannia glutinosa shows a high level of resistance to the non-selective herbicide paraquat. To characterize the antioxidant enzyme system of R. glutinosa, we comparatively examined the responses of antioxidant enzymes to UV, wounding and a general elicitor yeast extract in R. glutinosa and soybean. The levels of enzyme activities of the two plant species were drastically different between those per fresh weight (general activity) and per protein (specific activity) bases. The general activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POX), catalase (CAT), and glutathione reductase (GR) were lower, but that of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) was higher in R. glutinosa than in soybean. The specific activities of the enzymes, however, were about two- to seven-fold higher in R. glutinosa than in soybean, except that of CAT, which was about 12-fold higher in soybean. The general and specific enzyme activities of R. glutinosa relative to those of soybean showed a consistent increase in responses to the stresses only in SOD. The specific activities of SOD and APX were higher in R. glutinosa in all stress treatments. The results might suggest a relatively higher contribution of SOD and APX to the stress tolerance.

Changes in the level of metabolites in leaves and pods were examined with respect to the seed chemical composition in black soybean. There was no further increase in pod length after 42 days after flowering (DAF). Pod weight, however, persistently increase until 73 DAF, thereafter the weight was slightly lowered. The seed storage protein, however, increased drastically as the increasing rate of pod weight was lessened at 61 DAF. The accumulation of seed storage proteins was occurred conspicuously as the increasing rate of pod weight was slowed down. The chlorophyll content both in leaves and pods was drastically decreased after 50 DAF. The beginning of drastic reduction in chlorophyll content was occurred concomitantly with the reduction of soluble protein content in leaves. The sugar content in leaves showed similar tendency with chlorophyll and soluble protein content. The starch level in leaves, however, showed different changing pattern during seed development. The starch content in leaves was increased persistently until 66 DAF, thereafter the content was decreased drastically to about 55~% of maximal value at 66 DAF. Total phenolics content in leaves and the anthocyanins content in seeds were stable without noticeable increase until 66 DAF. The contents were increased dramatically after 66 DAF showing the synchronized pattern with the decrease in starch level in leaves. The levels of the selected metabolites in leaf and seed suggested that the accumulation of chemical components of black soybean seed is launched actively at 66 DAF. The profile of storage proteins was nearly completed at 61 DAF because there was no large difference in densitometric intensity among protein subunits after 61 DAF. In soybean, chemical maturation of seed begins around 61 to 66 DAF at which most metabolites in vegetative parts are decreased and remobilized into maturing seeds.

Number of nodes and branches are yield component characters whose expression are highly related with many other traits. In this study, a population derived from the cross of ‘Keunolkong’ and ‘Shinpaldalkong’ was evaluated with SSR markers to identify QTLs

This study was carried out to investigate the best explant source and combination of media and growth regulators for the regeneration of multiple shoots in soybean (Glycine max. L. Merr.) cv. ‘Iksannamulkong’. Multiple shoots could well be directly induce

An experiment was conducted to determine N₂-fixation efficiency using 5 soybean genotypes, viz. 'Chiang Mai (CM) 60', 'SJ1', 'Santa Maria', 'KUSL 20004', 'AGS 292' and 40 rhizobium strains from the Soil Microbiology Group, Soil Science Division

Wild perennial types of genus Glycine, as sources of genetic diversity, have been recently employed in the soybean breeding programs. This study was carried out to introduce some useful characters of wild perennial Glycine species into G. max. Parent mate