Where is the origin of soybean? Learn about the birthplace of soybean

Soybean can be used for pressing oil, and can also be made into many soybean products for daily consumption, so where is the origin of soybean? Let's take a look!

1. Basic introduction to soybean

Soybean is an annual herbaceous plant of the class Dicotyledoneae, family Fabaceae, genus Glycine, with a plant height of 30-90 cm.

The stem of soybean is thick and upright, or the upper part is nearly twining, the upper part is more or less angular, and densely covered with brown long stiff hairs. The leaves of soybean usually have 3 leaflets; the stipules are broadly ovate, acuminate, 3-7 mm long, veined, and covered with yellow pubescence; the petiole is 2-20 cm long. The flowers of soybean are borne in racemes, short ones with few flowers and long ones with many flowers; the peduncle is 10-35 mm long or longer, usually with 5-8 sessile, closely crowded flowers, and the flowers on the lower part of the plant are sometimes solitary or paired in the leaf axils; the bracts are lanceolate, 2-3 mm long, and covered with strigose hairs. The fruit of soybean is plump, oblong, slightly curved, drooping, yellow-green, 4-7.5 cm long and 8-15 mm wide, densely covered with brownish-yellow long hairs.

2. Origin of soybean

The origin of soybean is China, where it was called shu in ancient times, and it has a cultivation history of about five thousand years. At present, the main producing area of soybean in China is the Northeast region.

Most Chinese scholars believe that its origin is the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau area. Many botanists also believe that it was derived from the Ussuri soybean native to China.

China has cultivated it since ancient times, with a planting history of 5000 years so far. It is widely planted throughout China, and is produced in the Northeast, North China, Shaanxi, Sichuan and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, with more cultivation in the Yangtze River Basin and the Southwest, and the best quality soybean in the Northeast.

3. What types of soybean are there?

According to the seed coat color and grain shape of soybean, it is divided into five categories: yellow soybean, green soybean, black soybean, other soybeans, and feed soybean, among which:

1. Yellow soybean

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

2. Green soybean

Soybean with a green seed coat. According to the color of its cotyledons, it can be further divided into two types: green coat with green kernel soybean and green coat with yellow kernel soybean. It is also one of the main food sources for the human body to obtain vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K, as well as vitamin B.

3. Black soybean

The black seeds of the leguminous plant soybean. Also known as ludou, black bean, etc., sweet in taste and neutral in nature. Black soybean has the characteristics of high protein and low calorie, with a black outer coat and yellow or green inside.

4. Feed soybean

Generally, the grains are relatively small, flat and elongated oval, with sunken round dots on the two leaves, and the seed coat is slightly glossy or not glossy.