Photosynthetic characteristics and genetic mapping of a yellow-green leaf mutant jym165 in soybean

Background: Leaves are important sites for photosynthesis and can convert inorganic substances into organic matter. Photosynthetic performance is an important factor affecting crop yield. Leaf colour is closely related to photosynthesis, and leaf colour mutants are considered an ideal material for studying photosynthesis.

Results: We obtained a yellow-green leaf mutant jym165, using ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis. Physiological and biochemical analyses indicated that the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, and total chlorophyll in the jym165 mutant decreased significantly compared with those in Jiyu47 (JY47). The abnormal chloroplast development of jym165 led to a decrease in net photosynthetic rate and starch content compared with that of JY47. However, quality traits analysis showed that the sum of oil and protein contents in jym165 was higher than that in JY47. In addition, the regional yield (seed spacing: 5 cm) of jym165 increased by 2.42% compared with that of JY47 under high planting density. Comparative transcriptome analysis showed that the yellow-green leaf phenotype was closely related to photosynthesis and starch and sugar metabolism pathways. Genetic analysis suggests that the yellow-green leaf phenotype is controlled by a single recessive nuclear gene. Using Mutmap sequencing, the candidate regions related of leaf colour was narrowed to 3.44 Mb on Chr 10.

Conclusions: Abnormal chloroplast development in yellow-green mutants leads to a decrease in the photosynthetic pigment content and net photosynthetic rate, which affects the soybean photosynthesis pathway and starch and sugar metabolism pathways. Moreover, it has the potentiality to increase soybean yield under dense planting conditions. This study provides a useful reference for studying the molecular mechanisms underlying photosynthesis in soybean.