How are soybean seeds dispersed?

Soybean is commonly known as yellow bean. It is one of China's important food crops, with a cultivation history of five thousand years, called shu in ancient times, with Northeast China as the main producing area, and it is a crop whose seeds are rich in plant protein. So, how does soybean disperse its seeds?

1. How soybean disperses its seeds

Soybean disperses its seeds by ballistic dispersal and by animals. Ballistic dispersal method: the fruit of soybean is a pod, which splits open by two valves; when the soybean matures and dries and hardens to a certain degree, the two halves of the pod suddenly burst open and curl, and by this elastic force of its own the seeds are ejected, thereby achieving the purpose of seed dispersal.

Animal dispersal: certain activities of humans and animals often help plants disperse seeds, intentionally or unintentionally.

2. Main classifications

Soybean generally refers to its seeds. According to the seed coat color and grain shape of soybean seeds, it is divided into five categories: yellow soybean, green soybean, black soybean, other soybeans, and feed soybean.

1. Other soybeans: soybeans whose seed coat is a single color such as brown, tan, or red.

2. Yellow soybean is the most widely planted variety among soybeans. Yellow soybean is most commonly used to make various soy products, brew soy sauce, and extract protein. The okara or coarsely ground powder is also often used as poultry and livestock feed.

3. Green soybean is soybean whose seed coat is green. According to the color of its cotyledons, it can be further divided into two types: green coat with green cotyledon soybean and green coat with yellow cotyledon soybean. Green soybean is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and soybean lecithin, rich in anti-cancer components such as saponin, protease inhibitors, isoflavones, molybdenum, and selenium, and rich in protein and fiber; it is also one of the main source foods for the human body to obtain vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K, as well as vitamin B.

5. Black soybean is the black seed of the legume plant soybean. Also known as lubaozuki, black bean, etc., it is sweet in taste and neutral in nature. Black soybean has the characteristics of high protein and low calorie, with a black outer coat and a yellow or green interior.

6. Feed soybean: the grains are generally smaller, flat and oblong-elliptical, with concave round dots on the two leaves, and the seed coat is slightly glossy or not glossy.