Development of soybean cultivars with great nodulation and high nitrogen fixation activity, derived mostly from mutagenesis, may decrease inputs of chemical fertilizer nitrogen into the soil-plant system. Soybean seeds (cv. Jangyupkong, Hwanggeumko...
Development of soybean cultivars with great nodulation and high nitrogen fixation activity, derived mostly from mutagenesis, may decrease inputs of chemical fertilizer nitrogen into the soil-plant system. Soybean seeds (cv. Jangyupkong, Hwanggeumkong, and Geomjungkong 1) were treated with three different levels of EMS (ethyl methanesulfonate) concentration(30, 50, and 70mM). Increasing the doses of EMS resulted in decreased field emergence rate of seeds, whereas it did not increase M$_2$ mutation frequencies. This indicated that the most efficient concentration of EMS was 30mM for generating mutants. Extensive mutagenesis of Sinpaldalkong 2 with 30mM EMS was undertaken to isolate soybean mutants with greater nodulation. Approximately 8, 200 M$_2$ families were screened for greater nodulation on 5 mM nitrate after inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum strain YCK213-KFCC-10728. Mutant SS-2 nodulated more than the wild type. Comparison of supernodulation between SS-2 and two nts mutants(nts 1007 and nts 1116) revealed that SS-2 showed the supernodulation character at an earlier growth stage than the two nts mutants. Further studies should be needed to characterize the difference in timing of nodulation between SS-2 and nts mutants.