Biochemical analysis of seed isoflavone contents at different row spacing in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr]

The soybean crop displays a wide variety of active compounds such as daidzein, genistein, and glycitein, which have an astonishing impact on human wellness by reducing cardiovascular disease, breast and prostate cancer, and menopausal symptoms in women. This thesis investigate the effect plant spacing densities have on isoflavones accumulation by growing soybean plants in two different row spaces (25 cm vs. 50 cm) using a recombinant inbred lines population resulting from the crossing of cultivars PI 438489B and Hamilton. Differences were recorded in soybean seed isoflavones (daidzein, genistein and glycitein) between the two different plant densities shown in Table 1. Daidzein content was (0.03458 μg/g) in 50 cm row space (lower density of plants), which was higher than (0.03019 .μg/g) at 25cm row space (higher density of plants). Similarly, glycitein concentration was (0.01905 µg/g) at 50cm row spacing, which was higher than 25 cm raw space (0.00498 μ.g/g). Genistein concentration at 50cm row spacing (0.01466µg/g) was higher than at 25cm (0.00831.μg/g). Results show that the seed isoflavones are higher in plants grown in lower plant density (50cm) compared to plants grown in higher density (25cm) in the North Carolina environment tested in this study. The data identified here may be established in breeding programs to develop new cultivars with high amounts of these beneficial compounds.