A method to estimate soybean seed protein and oil concentration before harvest

Abstract

Temperature and precipitation variables during linear seed fill are known to be environmental determinants of protein and oil composition of the soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed. However, the contribution of other precipitation and temperature events during the growing season and a method that would determine the precipitation and temperature variables most related to protein and oil concentration values of the seed has not been fully explored. The former was evaluated by comparing monthly temperature and precipitation variables of the growing seasons to protein and oil data for the years 1959 to 1996 from three locations listed in the Uniform Soybean Tests, Northern Region. The data set comprised locations from Maturity Groups II and III and consisted of 186 location‐years. Classification and regression “tree‐based” analysis were conducted to determine the month, environmental variable, and “splitting” points that correctly classified most of the 186 location‐years for below‐vs.‐above‐median protein or oil composition. The protein concentrations from the location‐years were separated into these two median‐boundary categories most readily by temperature variables from the months of April and August. The oil concentrations from the location‐years were classified best by August and September temperature variables and precipitation in May and September. The sum of protein and oil concentrations from the location‐years were best separated by August and July temperature variables and precipitation in May and July. The protein‐to‐oil ratios from the location‐years were best separated by September precipitation and July and June temperature variables. These data demonstrate that tree‐based models can use monthly temperature and precipitation variables during linear seed fill and other specific months of the crop year and relate them to the final protein and oil concentration in the seed. These results could be used by the processing industry to estimate seed composition before harvest.

Year, Region, and Temperature Effects on the Quality of Minnesota's Soybean Crop

“…A fundamental question addressed by Yaklich and Vinyard (2004) and Piper and Boote (1999) is whether seed quality traits may be predicted based on late season ambient temperatures and past performance within a region. This research indicates that oil concentration may be reasonably well predicted based on late season temperatures within a region.…”

“…Many factors have been used to explain regional protein and oil variation including latitude (Breene et al, 1988; Dardanelli et al, 2006), precipitation (Maestri et al, 1998), temperature (Howell and Cartter, 1958; Piper and Boote, 1999; Thomas et al, 2003; Yaklich and Vinyard, 2004), extreme temperature (Wolf et al, 1982; Gibson and Mullen, 1996), temperature and drought (Dornbos and Mullen, 1992), soil fertility (Haq and Mallarino, 2005), and tillage and rotations (Pedersen and Lauer, 2003; Temperly and Borges, 2006). While temperature effects on oil concentration may be the best characterized of any environmental factor/quality trait interaction, a definitive model describing this interaction has not been developed.…”

“…Published reports of in‐field examinations of temperature effects on soybean quality are few. Yaklich and Vinyard (2004) determined that August and September temperatures best predicted oil concentration in soybean grown in three locations between 40 and 42° N lat. in the central United States.…”

Planting Date, Maturity, and Temperature Effects on Soybean Seed Yield and Composition

“…Rotundo et al (2016) determined that the spatial variation occurs at scales lower than politically defined regional and state lines. Many underlying weather and environmental factors have been suggested to explain this variation, including differences in temperature throughout the growing season (Gibson and Mullen, 1996;Howell and Cartter, 1958;Thomas et al, 2003;Wilson, 2004;Wolf et al, 1982;Yaklich and Vinyard, 2004). The effect of temperature, specifically during seed fill, has been heavily credited with altering seed composition and was found to be consistent across six varieties in a Kentucky study (Kane et al, 1997).…”

Cold Stress during Flowering Alters Plant Structure, Yield and Seed Quality of Different Soybean Genotypes

“…The chemical composition of soybean seeds depends on the genetic characteristics of the cultivar and environmental factors such as length of the growing season, soil type, weather conditions, and biotic and abiotic stresses. Protein and fat contents are largely shaped by the pattern of moisture and thermal conditions during vegetation [29][30][31], with a negative correlation shown between protein content and fat content and seed yield [32,33]. Mourtzinis et al [34] showed an increase in crude fat content in soybean seeds under higher temperature conditions, while Kumar et al [35] proved a positive relationship between temperature and protein content and a negative relationship between temperature and fat concentration.…”