Glycine max

About Glycine max

Glycine max (soybean) is a crop legume that globally constitutes one of the most important sources of animal feed protein and cooking oil. Having originated in East Asia soy is now cultivated world-wide with greatest production in the U.S. Though only a minor proportion of the crop is eaten directly by humans, soybean is a valuable source of protein, containing all essential amino acids, and frequently used as a dietary substitute for meat. Like other legumes, soybean is able to fix atmospheric nitrogen by engaging in a symbiotic relationship with microbial organisms. The complete sequence of the soybean genome not only impacts research and breeding of this crop, but also serves as a reference for genomics research in other legumes. Representing the order Fabales within the eudicot taxonomy, the sequence will also advance research in comparative phylogenomics. As a paleopolyploid, the soybean genome shows evidence of two ancient whole genome duplications, one early in the legume lineage and a second more recent event specific to the soybean lineage. The soybean genome has 20 chromosomes and an estimated size of 1,115 Mbp.

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