Ecophysiological factors on phytic acid concentration in soybean seed

Phytic acid is the major form of P in crop seeds. To reveal the correlations between phytic acid concentration (PAC) in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed and ecophysiological factors, the soybean cultivar Yudou25 was planted at five locations of Henan, China, on 13 different sowing dates in 2009 and 2010. Results showed that six ecophysiological factors were highly correlated with PAC, including four soil nutrition factors (available K [AK], available P [AP], hydrolyzable N [HN], and S in soil) and two meteorological factors (diurnal temperature range at blooming and podding [DTRBP] and mean temperature at seed filling and maturity [MTFM]) from high to low in the contribution to the PAC difference. Phytic acid concentration was negatively correlated with AK and HN but positively correlated with AP and available S, DTRBP, and MTFM. These results have potentially wide applications for the production of lower PAC soybean seeds.