title: Identification of mega-environments in Europe and effect of allelic variation at maturity E loci on adaptation of European soybean.
abstract: Soybean cultivation holds great potential for a sustainable agriculture in Europe, but adaptation remains a central issue. In this large mega-environment (MEV) study, 75 European cultivars from five early maturity groups (MGs 000-II) were evaluated for maturity-related traits at 22 locations in 10 countries across Europe. Clustering of the locations based on phenotypic similarity revealed six MEVs in latitudinal direction and suggested several more. Analysis of maturity identified several groups of cultivars with phenotypic similarity that are optimally adapted to the different growing regions in Europe. We identified several haplotypes for the allelic variants at the E1, E2, E3 and E4 genes, with each E haplotype comprising cultivars from different MGs. Cultivars with the same E haplotype can exhibit different flowering and maturity characteristics, suggesting that the genetic control of these traits is more complex and that adaptation involves additional genetic pathways, for example temperature requirement. Taken together, our study allowed the first unified assessment of soybean-growing regions in Europe and illustrates the strong effect of photoperiod on soybean adaptation and MEV classification, as well as the effects of the E maturity loci for soybean adaptation in Europe.
authors.affiliation: State Plant Breeding Institute, University of Hohenheim, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Alena K
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6448-8629
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Kurasch
authors.affiliation: State Plant Breeding Institute, University of Hohenheim, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hahn
authors.affiliation: State Plant Breeding Institute, University of Hohenheim, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Willmar L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Leiser
authors.affiliation: Department of Crop Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), 3430, Tulln an der Donau, Austria.
authors.forename: Johann
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vollmann
authors.affiliation: Agroscope, Route de Duillier 50, P.O. Box 1012, 1260, Nyon 1, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schori
authors.affiliation: Agroscope, Route de Duillier 50, P.O. Box 1012, 1260, Nyon 1, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Claude-Alain
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Bétrix
authors.affiliation: Saatzucht Donau, Zuchtstation Reichersberg, 4981, Reichersberg 86, Austria.
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mayr
authors.affiliation: Saatzucht Gleisdorf, Am Tieberhof 33, 8200, Gleisdorf, Austria.
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.affiliation: Institute for Sustainable Plant Production, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, 1220, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Klemens
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mechtler
authors.affiliation: Plant Sciences Unit, Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, 9090, Melle, Belgium.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aper
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Institute Osijek, 31000, Osijek, Croatia.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sudaric
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Biometrics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pejic
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Breeding, Genetics and Biometrics, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Hrvoje
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sarcevic
authors.affiliation: Euralis Semences, 6 chemin de Panedautes, 31700, Mondonville, France.
authors.forename: Patrice
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jeanson
authors.affiliation: Institute for Resistance Research and Stress Tolerance, JKI, 18190, Sanitz, Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Balko
authors.affiliation: ERSA-Agenzia Regionale per lo Sviluppo Rurale, Via Montesanto 17, 34170, Gorizia, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Signor
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Animal Sciences, University of Udine, 33100, Udine, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabiano
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Miceli
authors.affiliation: DutchSoy, Metselaarsgilde 16, 8253 HM, Dronten, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Strijk
authors.affiliation: Storm Seeds, Nijverheidslaan 1506, 3660, Opglabbeek, Belgium.
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rietman
authors.affiliation: Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda, Agriculturii Street 27, Turda, 401100, Cluj, Romania.
authors.forename: Eugen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Muresanu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Maksima Gorkog 30, Novi Sad, Serbia.
authors.forename: Vuk
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Djordjevic
authors.affiliation: Department of Field Crops, Forage and Grassland, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, Svetošimunska cesta 25, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pospišil
authors.affiliation: Department of Agronomy Food Natural resources Animals Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barion
authors.affiliation: Freiherr von Moreau Saatzucht GmbH, Bruderamming 1, 94486, Osterhofen, Germany.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weigold
authors.affiliation: Saatzucht Streng-Engelen GmbH & Co. KG, Aspachhof, 97215, Uffenheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Streng
authors.affiliation: Donau Soja, Wiesingerstrasse 6/9, A-1010, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Krön
authors.affiliation: State Plant Breeding Institute, University of Hohenheim, 70593, Stuttgart, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Würschum
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004777:Environment; D005060:Europe; D035264:Flowers / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci / Q000235:genetics*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000235:genetics; D013025:Glycine max / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Europe; adaptation; breeding; maturity genes; mega-environments; soybean