A recent retrotransposon insertion of <i>J</i> caused <i>E6</i> locus facilitating soybean adaptation into low latitude

Soybean (Glycine max) is an important legume crop that was domesticated in temperate regions. varieties from these regions generally mature early and exhibit extremely low yield when grown under inductive short-day (SD) conditions at latitudes. The long-juvenile (LJ) trait, which characterized by delayed flowering maturity, improved SD conditions, allowed the cultivation of soybean to expand lower Two major loci control LJ trait: J E6. In current study, positional cloning, sequence analysis, transgenic complementation confirmed E6 a novel allele J, ortholog Arabidopsis thaliana EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3). mutant e6PG, carries Ty1/Copia-like retrotransposon insertion, does not suppress legume-specific repressor E1, allowing E1 inhibit Flowering Locus T (FT) expression thus delaying increasing yields conditions. e6PG rare has been incorporated into modern breeding programs. dysfunction might have greatly facilitated adaptation Our findings increase our understanding molecular mechanisms underlying trait provide valuable resources for breeding.