SELECTION FOR TIME TO MATURITY IN SOYBEAN (GLYCINE-MAX (L) MERRILL) AND SEED PROTEIN-CONTENT OF EARLY-MATURING GENOTYPES

F-2-derived families from five different crosses between soybean genot ypes of maturity groups 0 to 000 were evaluated for time to maturity i n the F-3-generation. Transgressions over the earlier parent's maturit y were observed in all populations. Broad sense heritability of time t o maturity was moderately high with estimates ranging between 0.70 and 0.94. Selection for early maturity was effective both on individual p lant and family basis, although late segregants could not be excluded completely by one generation of selection. A realised heritability of 0.66 was obtained after selection for earliness in single plants of th e F-2-generation, which indicates that selection for time to maturity can be practised during early generations of a pedigree breeding progr am. After selection for early maturity, variation in seed protein cont ent was low between families within populations, whereas significant d ifferences in protein content were found between the crosses investiga ted.