Research HighlightsSelecting Soybeans for Mineral Nutrient Uptake
In this article, you’ll find details on:
- Soybeans vary in the ability to absorb, translocate and deposit mineral nutrients like aluminum, iron and silicon, according to Texas Tech University research.
- Identifying genetic markers associated with improved uptake of specific minerals helps soybean breeders to better develop soybeans for specific soil types.
By Laura Temple
Soybeans require minerals for healthy growth and development. Nutrients like aluminum, boron, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, silicon and zinc help the plants manage stress of all kinds — from disease pressure to weather.
Imbalances or toxicity from mineral nutrients impact plant growth and development, explains Gunvant Patil, assistant professor for the Institute of Genomics for Crop Abiotic Stress Tolerance at Texas Tech University. He studied genetic variation in how soybeans take up mineral nutrients on behalf of the Southern Soybean Research Program, a research collaboration for soybean farmers in Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
“Soybean genetics adapt for taking up different key nutrients in different environments,” he says. “Identifying germplasm and genetic factors related to uptake of specific minerals enables the development of soybeans with improved nutrient use efficiency and supports breeders in selecting genotypes adapted to specific soil types.”
For example, for areas where iron deficiency chlorosis is an issue, breeders could select for soybean varieties that can more efficiently absorb, transport and use bioavailable iron from soil.
Screening and Analysis
When the project started in 2021, Patil and his team selected 220 genetic lines of soybeans from the germplasm database. They grew these lines in a greenhouse, providing known quantities of nine essential minerals.
At the V3 or V4 growth stage, his team took tissue samples from leaves, stems and roots to analyze how each soybean accession took up and moved different minerals through the plant.
“We found significant variations in how soybeans absorb minerals from the soil,” he says. “We identified lines with high uptake of the minerals we studied.”
After greenhouse screening, Patil selected 25 soybean lines with high mineral accumulation and 25 lines with low accumulation to test in the field. In addition to planting these varieties at the Texas Tech research station in Lubbock, he partnered with South Carolina researchers to plant them at the research station in Aiken, South Carolina. The two locations had very different soil types and mineral nutrient levels.
“We saw similar trends in nutrient composition in both the greenhouse and field trials,” Patil says. “That encouraged us to look more closely at the genetics for varieties with high nutrient accumulation rates.”
Genetic Mapping
Soybean genetic and genomics resources are publicly available, allowing Patil and his team to conduct association mapping on the soybean germplasm. That process helped identify novel genomic regions connected to mineral nutrients.
They identified a quantitative trait locus, or QTL, for aluminum, iron, manganese and silicon uptake. In other words, they found areas on specific soybeans genes connected to higher uptake of the given mineral.
“This information allows soybean breeders to use genetic markers to identify genetics for strong mineral uptake,” Patil explains.
He believes this information will help soybean breeders, seed companies and farmers improve soybean varieties better suited to specific soil types that are high or low in specific minerals.
Exploring Silicon
Based on data and experience from the first couple years of this research, Patil chose to focus on soybean uptake of silicon, the most abundant element on earth.
“Soybean roots need the correct transporter to absorb silicon in its silicic or monosilicic acid forms,” he says. “It moves from roots, through shoots, to leaf tissue, where it creates a physical, or apoplastic, barrier that helps plants resist fungal and bacterial disease, as well as help in reducing water evapotranspiration.”
That barrier forms outside plant cell membranes.
He is seeking to better understand how soybeans use silicon and characterize the genetics that improve silicon uptake. He is also looking into genetic editing technologies that would allow these genetics to be incorporated into varieties more easily. This research, building on his earlier work, is funded by the United Soybean Board.
“In addition to major nutrients, we plan to continue studying silicon in soybeans,” Patil says. “It’s role has been defined in rice and cereals, and this ongoing research will help us learn more about silicon use in dicots.”
Additional Resources
Research Nourishes Nutrient Management – SRIN infographic
Do High-Yielding Soybeans Get the Nutrients They Need? – SRIN article
Soybean Nutrient Concentration Research Aims to Improve Fertilizer Use Efficiency – SRIN article
Identifying Nutrient Deficiencies and Causes -YouTube video
Are Your Soybeans Nutrient Deficient? – YouTube video
Meet the researcher: Gunvant Patil
Published: Jun 16, 2025
The materials on SRIN were funded with checkoff dollars from United Soybean Board and the North Central Soybean Research Program. To find checkoff funded research related to this research highlight or to see other checkoff research projects, please visit the National Soybean Checkoff Research Database.
