Oil, protein and fatty acid profiles of Brazilian soybean cultivars in multi-environmental trials

Soybean is an important oil and protein source for human and animal food, as well as being used in the production of biofuel.Brazilian soybean is known for its quality, especially with regard to its high protein content.This work aimed to present a screening of Brazilian soybean cropped at different locations, to assess the composition of seed with regard to the protein, oil and fatty acid contents.We screened 46 cultivars, which represent more than 50% of the soybean cultivars produced in the South-Center region of Brazil in recent years, analyzed under six environments.In order to conduct the analysis, a grain sample was used to determine seed protein, oil and fatty acid contents, which was accomplished using near infrared spectroscopy (NIR).All the traits presented a genotype x environment interaction (GEI) (p<0.01).A mean oil content of 20.35% was identified for all the evaluated cultivars.This was superior to that obtained in other countries.The mean protein content was 40.20%, which was expected for the Brazilian soybean.This higher oil content is doubly favorable in Brazilian soybean: firstly, for its use as cooking oil and biofuel; secondly, for the production of high protein soybean meal, once all the oil is removed.The cultivars which presented the highest oil contents were also stable across the evaluated environments.On the other hand, the genotypes with the highest protein content presented low stability across the environments.Regarding the fatty acid composition, Brazilian soybean stands out for its low linoleic acid content, which gives a high oxidative stability to the resulting oil and biofuel.Trait associations were dependent on the location, thus breeders can select plants for specific traits at different locations.Brazilian cultivars present interesting characteristics for use in human and animal food products, and for biofuel production.