# Genomic Signatures of Artificial Selection Underlying Oil Content Differentiation in Chinese and Uruguayan Soybean Germplasm

## TL;DR

This study compares soybean oil content between Chinese and Uruguayan varieties, finding that Uruguayan soybeans have higher oil due to specific genetic factors.

## Contribution

The study identifies specific genomic regions and alleles associated with high oil content in Uruguayan soybean germplasm.

## Key findings

- Uruguayan soybean germplasm has significantly higher oil content (21.48%) compared to Chinese germplasm (19.42%).
- Uruguayan lines show a higher frequency of favorable alleles like GmDGAT1 and GmbZIP123 linked to oil biosynthesis.
- Genetic differentiation and reduced diversity in Uruguayan germplasm suggest artificial selection for high oil traits.

## Abstract

Soybean is a primary global vegetable oil source, yet modern South American cultivars often exhibit superior oil content compared to those from China, the center of origin. Elucidating the genetic basis of this differentiation is crucial for enhancing production efficiency. In this study, we systematically evaluated 98 representative accessions, comprising Chinese germplasm (CN) and Uruguayan germplasm. The latter included Uruguayan conventional germplasm (UY_N, where ‘N’ indicates ‘Normal’, meaning non-transgenic) and Uruguayan transgenic germplasm (UY_T). Using the “Zhongdouxin No. 1” SNP array and multi-environment phenotypic data. Uruguayan germplasm exhibited significantly higher mean oil content (21.48%) than Chinese germplasm (19.42%, p < 0.001), with high heritability (H2 ranging from 0.78 to 0.92). Genetic analysis revealed significant differentiation (mean FST = 0.14), with Uruguayan lines showing reduced diversity due to breeding bottlenecks. Genome-wide scans identified differentiation in genomic regions harboring known lipid biosynthesis genes; notably, the high-oil allele frequency of GmDGAT1 was 78.3% in Uruguayan germplasm versus 25.7% in Chinese lines, and the favorable GmbZIP123 haplotype was fixed in the Uruguayan population. Uruguayan accessions also carried significantly more favorable alleles (18.3) than Chinese accessions (14.8). We conclude that high-oil traits in Uruguayan soybean result from the systematic stacking of favorable haplotypes at key loci via directional selection. Consequently, we propose incorporating South American high-oil allelic modules into the broadly adapted genetic backgrounds of Chinese cultivars to bridge the oil content gap.