Influence of Maturity Group and Climatic Conditions on
Protein Content in Soybean Varieties

Raluca Rezi¹, Adrian Negrea¹, Camelia Urdă¹, Edward Muntean^1,2

¹Agricultural Research and Development Station Turda
²University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj-Napoca

Keywords: soybean, quality, protein, progress, breeding.

Abstract: Soybean protein, being qualitatively very similar to animal-derived protein, plays an essential role both in human nutrition and in animal feeding. Increasing protein content is a priority objective in soybean breeding. The objective of this study is to evaluate the variation in soybean seed protein content depending on maturity group, hilum color, pubescence color, and climatic conditions during the seed-filling period. The biological material consisted of 22 soybean varieties developed at ARDS Turda, from three maturity groups. The results revealed significant differences among varieties and maturity groups regarding protein content. It was observed that early-maturing varieties, in general, have higher protein content, while drought conditions during the seed-filling period led to an increase in protein percentage. Certain morphological traits, such as hilum and pubescence color, are associated with reduced variations in protein content. This study contributes to a better understanding of the genetic variability of soybean varieties developed at ARDS Turda and provides valuable information for future breeding programs aimed at improving genotypes with specific purposes (food industry and animal feed), adapted to the pedoclimatic conditions of the Transylvania region.