Correlation Analysis of Amino Acid Content and Composition in Soybean Seeds

The correlation of various amino acids with the contents of total amino acid and protein in soybean seeds were studied using two high-protein content varieties vs.two normal protein content varieties.The soybean yields of four varieties were similar and stable from different years.The results showed that the correlation between total amino acid content and protein content was positive.Among 17amino acids, 13of them were positively correlated with the content of total amino acids, only alanine showed negative, and aspartic acid, cysteine and histamine were not significantly associated with total amino acid content.However, the 12of 17amino acids were not correlated with protein content significantly.There was no significant relationship indicated between the contents of two sulfur-containing amino acids (cysteine and methionine) .In addition, the content of cysteine showed no correlation with any other amino acids and the content of methionine was correlative only to six amino acids positively.The results suggest that the content of amino acids and their composition may not be main impact factor been looking for to improve high sulfur-containing amino acids in soybean seeds through the breeding approaches.