Oil Quality Improvement in Soybeans‐Glycine max (L.) Merr.

Plant breeding was used to reduce the linolenic acid content of soybean oil and improve oil stability. By crossing strains with the lowest linolenic acid content available, it was possible to produce offspring with amounts of linolenic acid 1 to 1.5% lower than the best parental strain. The selection of desirable strains was greatly accelerated by growing plants in Puerto Rico during the winter. Mutagenic agents (X‐rays and ethyl methylsulfonate) were used in an attempt to introduce more variability for fatty acid composition into the population. Seed source has a small effect on the amount of linolenic acid produced in the next generation of seeds. A late planting date significantly increased the amount of linolenic and stearic acid in soybeans. There was a significant negative correlation between linolenic acid and both oleic and stearic acid.