Relationship between Nodulating Characters and Yield Components in Supernodulating Soybean Mutants

This experiment was conducted to clarify the functions of supernodulating characters on seed yield determination through the comparison of agricultural traits of supernodulating soybean mutants, Sakukei4, SS2-2, and their parent cultivars, Enrei and Shinpaldalkong2. The plant dry weights of supernodulating mutants, Sakukei4 and SS2-2, were 52% and 61% of their wild type parents at full seed stage (R6). However, the relative growth rate (RGR) from the pod set stage (R3) to R6 of Sakukei4 was 0.022 g/g/day and that of SS2-2 was 0.016 g/g/day, which were higher than those of their parents. Nodule number and dry weight were increased in two supernodulating mutants by the R6 stage. The nitrogen concentrations of leaf, petiole and stem of Sakukei4 were higher than those of Enrei. SS2-2 showed higher nitrogen concentration in petiole than Shinpaldalkong2 had. The positive correlations were appeared between nodule dry weight, plant dry weight and pod number, in two supernodulating mutants during the period from R3 to R6 stage. Although all of the yield components and seed yield were lower in two supernodulating mutants than their parents at the stage of full maturity (R8), the harvest index was higher in supernodulating mutants. The increasing rates of pod number to stem dry weight in two supernodulating mutants showed the higher than those of two their parents at R8 stage. In conclusion, the relative growth rates during the early to the middle reproductive growth period were higher in supernodulating mutants than the wild types. This could be resulted in an increase in pod number. The increase of relative growth rate was the result of the successive supplement of nitrogen source from biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) of nodules during the middle reproductive growth period in supernodulating mutants.