Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Taxonomy of the genusGlycine, domestication and uses of soybeans

  • Published:
Economic Botany Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The genusGlycine has had a stormy taxonomic history. Recent studies of herbarium specimens and cytological and morphological analyses of living collections, coupled with chemotaxonomic investigations, have made it necessary to revise the genus. In the first part of this paper the current taxonomic status of the genusGlycine is reviewed.

The soybean was domesticated in China. It is unfortunate that the literature concerned with the antiquity and historical development of the soybean is obscured by legends and myths. In the second section of the paper, the archeological, historical, agricultural and botanical literature is summarized in order to present all the known evidence as to when, where and by whom the soybean was domesticated.

The soybean is the world’s premier source of dietary vegetable oil and is nutritionally an excellent and inexpensive source of protein for use either as human food or animal feed. In addition, the soybean has numerous industrial uses. In the last section of this paper the traditional uses of fermented and nonfermented soybeans in the East as well as the high-technology-developed uses of soybeans in the West are summarized.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • Aiton, W. T. 1812. Hortus Kewensis. Vol. 4. Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anon. 1808. Philadelphia Soc. Promot. Agric. Mem. Vol. I. Preface.

  • Bentham, G. 1864. Flora Australiensis. Vol. II. L. Reeve, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • —. 1865. On the generaSweetia, Sprengel, andGlycine, Linn., simultaneously published under the name ofLeptolobium. J. Linn. Soc. Bot. 8: 259–267.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boulnois, L. 1966. The Silk Road. Trans, by D. Chamberlain. Dutton, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bretschneider, E. 1881/1882. Botanicum Sinicum. Notes on Chinese botany from native and western sources. Part I. J. Roy. Asiat. Soc. N. China Br. N.S. 16–17: 18–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • —. 1894/1895. Botanicum Sinicum. Notes on Chinese botany from native and western sources. Part III. J. Roy. Asiat. Soc. N. China Br. N.S. 29: 1–623.

    Google Scholar 

  • Candolle, A. P. de. 1825. Prodromus Systematis Naturalis. Paris.

  • Carletti, F. 1964. My Voyage Around the World. Trans. by H. Weinstock. Pantheon Books, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chamberlain, B. H., trans. 1906. Ko-Ji-Ki, Records of Ancient Matters. Trans. Asiat. Soc. Japan. Vol. 10. Supplement.

  • Chang, I. C. L., and H. C. Murray. 1949. Biological value of the protein and the mineral, vitamin, and amino acid content of soy milk and curd. Cereal Chem. 26: 297–306.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, K. C. 1965. Relative chronologies of China to the end of Chou.In Chronologies in Old World Archaeology, R. W. Ehrich, ed. Univ. Chicago Press, Chicago, IL.

    Google Scholar 

  • —. 1968. Archeology of ancient China. Science 162: 519–526.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • —. 1977. Chinese archaeology since 1949. J. Asian Studies 36: 623–646.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, P. S. 1962. Soybeans For Health, Longevity and Economy. 2nd ed. The Chemical Elements, South Lancaster, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, T. K. 1960. Archaeology in China. Vol. II. Shang China. Heffer, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowen, J. C. 1973. Processing and products.In Soybeans: Improvement, Production, and Uses, B. E. Caldwell, ed. Amer. Soc. Agronomy, Madison, WI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, J. S. 1962. The Travels and Controversies of Friar Domingo Navarrete 1618–1686. Hakluyt Soc. Ser. 2 No. 118, Cambridge.

  • Da Silva Junior, D. 1882. Soja. J. Agric. 4: 185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dale, S. 1705. Pharmacologiae .... Smith, Londini.

  • Dampier, W. 1906. Dampier’s Voyages, J. Masefield, ed. E. Grant Richards, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dobson, W. A. C. H. 1966. The Language of the Book of Songs. Univ. Toronto Press, Toronto.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyer Ball, J. 1904. Things Chinese. John Murray, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fukushima, D. 1979. Fermented vegetable (soybean) protein and related foods of Japan and China. J. Amer. Oil Chemists’ Soc. 56: 357–362.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hays, I. M. 1908. Calendar of the Papers of Benjamin Franklin in the Library of the American Philosophical Soc, Philadelphia. Papers XLIX, 76; CII, 118; CIII, 141; CIV, 2; CIV, 29; CIV, 52; CIV, 141; CV, 168; and V, 50.

  • Henderson, P. 1881. Henderson’s Handbook of Plants. Henderson and Co., New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hermann, F. J. 1962. A revision of the genusGlycine and its immediate allies. U.S.D.A. Tech. Bull. 1268: 1–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hesseltine, C. W., and H. L. Wang. 1972. Fermented soybean food products.In Soybeans: Chemistry and Technology, A. K. Smith and S. J. Circle, eds. AVI Publishing, Westport, CT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirth, F. 1908. The Ancient History of China to the End of the Chou Dynasty. Columbia Univ. Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hitchcock, A. S., and M. L. Green. 1947. Species lectotypicae generum Linnaei. Brittonia 6: 114–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ho, P. T. 1969. The loess and the origin of Chinese agriculture. Amer. Hist. Rev. 75: 1–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • —. 1975. The Cradle of the East. Chinese Univ. Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofsten, v. B. 1979. Legume sprouts as a source of protein and other nutrients. J. Amer. Oil Chemists’ Soc. 56: 382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoover, W. 1979. Use of soy proteins in baked foods. J. Amer. Oil Chemists’ Soc. 56: 301–303.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, T. C. 1963. Discourse on the character shu (soybeans). Essays on Chinese literature and history. 3rd Ser. (Shanghai), pp. 111–115. (In Chinese.)

  • Hymowitz, T. 1970. On the domestication of the soybean. Econ. Bot. 24: 408–421.

    Google Scholar 

  • —, and N. Kaizuma. 1979. Dissemination of soybeans (Glycine max): Seed protein electrophoresis profiles among Japanese cultivars. Econ. Bot. 33: 311–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tljas, N., A. C. Peng, and W. A. Gould. 1973. Tempeh an Indonesian fermented soybean food. Horticulture Series No. 394, Ohio Agric. Res. Dev. Center, Wooster, OH.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingham, J. L., N. T. Keen, and T. Hymowitz. 1977. A new isoflavone phytoalexin from fungusinoculated stems ofGlycine wightii. Phytochemistry 16: 1943–1946.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Judd, R. W. 1970. Cost of protein. Soybean News 21: 6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaempfer, E. 1712. Amoenitatum Exoticarum....H. W. Meyeri, Lemgoviae.

  • Karlgren, B. 1940. Grammata serica, script and phonetics in Chinese and Sino-Japanese. Museum Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm Bull. 12: 1–471.

    Google Scholar 

  • —. 1944. The Book of Odes, Kuo Feng and Siao Ya. Museum Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm Bull. 16: 171–256.

    Google Scholar 

  • —. 1945. The Book of Odes, Ta Ya and Sung. Museum Far Eastern Antiquities, Stockholm Bull. 17: 65–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keng, H. 1974. Economic plants of ancient north China as mentioned inShih Ching (Book of Poetry). Econ. Bot. 28: 391–410.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, P. 1858. The Life and Letters of John Locke. Henry G. Bohn, London.

  • Kinsella, J. E. 1979. Functional properties of soy proteins. J. Amer. Oil Chemists’ Soc. 56: 242–258.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kolata, G. B. 1979. Mental disorders: a new approach to treatment? Science 203: 36–38.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kwon, S. H. 1972. History and the land races of Korean soybean. SABRAO Newslett. 4: 107–111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lackey, J. A. 1977a. A synopsis of Phaseoleae (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae). Ph.D. Diss., Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA.

    Google Scholar 

  • -Lackey, J. A.. 1977b. A revised classification of the tribe Phaseoleae (Leguminosae: Papilionoideae), and its relation to canavanine distribution. J. Linn. Soc. Bot. 74: 163–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • -Lackey, J. A.. 1977c.Neonotonia, a new generic name to includeGlycine wightii (Arnott) Verdcourt (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae). Phytologia 37: 209–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laufer, B. 1914/1915. Some fundamental ideas of Chinese culture. J. Race Dev. 5: 160–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, M. P. H. 1921. Economic History of China. Studies in History, Economics and Public Law. Vol. 99. Columbia Univ., New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liener, I. E. 1972. Nutritional value of food protein products.In Soybeans: Chemistry and Technology, A. K. Smith and S. J. Circle, eds. AVI Publishing, Westport, CT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Link, B. A. 1976. Textured soy protein products.In Edible Soy Protein Seminar. Archer Daniels Midland, Decatur, IL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Linnaeus, C. 1737a. Genera Plantarum. Ed. 1. Lugduni Batavorum.

  • —. 1737b. Hortus Cliffortianus. Historiae Naturalis Classica. J. Cramer and H. K. Swann, eds., Vol. 63. Reprint 1968. Stechert-Hafner, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • -. 1753. Species Plantarum. Vol. II. Stockholm.

  • . 1767. Mantissa Plantarum. Historiae Naturalis Classica. J. Cramer and H. K. Swann, eds., Vol. 7. Reprint 1961. Hafner, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lo, H. L. 1961. The southward expansion of Chinese civilization and the advancement of learning in Kwangtung Province.In Symposium on Historical, Archaeological and Linguistic Studies on Southern China, South-East Asia and the Hong Kong Region, F. S. Drake, general ed. Univ. Hong Kong Press, Hong Kong.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martinez, W. H. 1979. The importance of functionality of vegetable protein in foods.In Soy Protein and Human Nutrition, H. L. Wilcke, D. T. Hopkins, D. H. Waggle, eds. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKie, J. W., and K. L. Anderson. 1967. The Soybean Book. Thompson and Associates, State College, MS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mease, J. 1804. Soy.In The Domestic Encyclopedia Vol. V, A. F. M. Willich, ed. William Young Birch and Abraham Small, Philadelphia, PA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Merrill, E. D. 1917. An interpretation of Rumphius’s Herbarium Amboinense. Bureau of Printing, Manila.

  • Mies, D. W., and T. Hymowitz. 1973. Comparative electrophoretic studies of trypsin inhibitors in seed of the genusGlycine. Bot. Gaz. 134: 121–125.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morse, W. J., and J. L. Cartter. 1952. Soybeans for feed, food, and industrial products. U.S.D.A. Farmer’s Bull. No. 2038.

  • Newell, C. A., and T. Hymowitz. 1978. A reappraisal of the subgenusGlycine. Amer. J. Bot. 65: 168–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • —, and ———. 1980. A taxonomic revision in the genusGlycine subgenusGlycine (Leguminosae). Brittonia 32: 63–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Old, W. G. 1904. The Shu King. Theosophical Soc, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ovington, J. 1929. A Voyage to Surat in the Year 1689, H. G. Rawlinson, ed. Oxford Univ. Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Paillieux, M. A. 1880. Le Soja sa composition chimique ses variétés sa culture et ses usages. Bull. Soc. Acclim. Ser. 3, 414–471, 538–596.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piper, C. V. 1914. The name of the soybean: a chapter in its botanical history. J. Amer. Soc. Agron. 6: 75–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • —, and W. J. Morse. 1923. The Soybean. McGraw-Hill, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prince Dhaninavat. 1961. Thai migrations.In Symposium on Historical, Archeological and Linguistic Studies on Southern China, South-East Asia and the Hong Kong Region, F. S. Drake, general ed. Univ. Hong Kong Press, Hong Kong.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pritchard, A. J., and J. G. Wutoh. 1964. Chromosome numbers in the genusGlycine L. Nature 202:322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rackis, J. J. 1979. Soy protein foods. Tropical Foods 2: 485–510.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rasmussen, A. I. 1978. Nutrient comparison of fresh and field-dried, green-seeded soybeans. J. Amer. Diet. Assoc. 72: 604–608.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Regel, E. A. von, and R. Maack. 1861.In E. A. von Regel. Tentamen Florae Ussuriensis. Mem. Acad. Imp. Sci. St. Pétersbourg, Ser. 7. Vol. 4. No. 4.

  • Rugoff, M. 1961. The Travels of Marco Polo. New American Library of World Literature, New York.

  • Rumphius, G. E. 1750. Herbarium Amboinense. Amstelaedami.

  • Satow, E. M. 1900. The Voyage of Captain John Saris to Japan, 1613. Hakluyt Soc. London. Vol. 5, Ser. 2.

  • Scott, W. O., and S. R. Aldrich. 1970. Modern soybean production. Farm Quarterly, Cincinnati, OH.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shih, S. H. 1962. A Preliminary Survey of the Book Ch’i Min Yao Shu. An Agricultural Encyclopedia of the 6th Century. Science Press, Peking.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shih, V. E. 1970. A low-methionine substitute for cow’s milk for children and adults—soybean milk. J. Amer. Diet. Assoc. 57: 520–522.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shinoda, O. 1971. A treatise on tofu (bean curd). Continent Mag. 42: 172–178. (In Chinese.)

    Google Scholar 

  • Shurtleff, W., and A. Aoyagi. 1975. The Book of Tofu. Ballantine Books, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • —, and —. 1976. The Book of Miso. Autumn Press, Soquel, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • —, and —. 1979. The Book of Tempeh. Harper and Row, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siebold, P. F. de, and J. G. Zuccarini. 1846. Florae Japonicae. Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. Math.-Phys. Munchen 4: 109–204.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, A. K., and S. J. Circle. 1972. Protein products as food ingredients.In Soybeans: Chemistry and Technology, A. K. Smith and S. J. Circle, eds. AVI Publishing, Westport, CT.

    Google Scholar 

  • Triestman, J. M. 1968. China at 1000 B.C.: a cultural mosaic. Science 160: 853–856.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Duyne, F. O. 1950. Recipes for using soybeans...fresh green soybeans and dry soybeans. Ill. Agric. Exp. Sta. Circ. 662.

  • Vavilov, N. I. 1951. The Origin, Variation, Immunity, and Breeding of Cultivated Plants. Trans, by K. Starr Chester, Chronica Botanica Vol. 13. Ronald Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verdcourt, B. 1966. A proposal concerningGlycine L. Taxon 15: 34–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • —. 1970. Studies in the Leguminosae-Papilionoideae for the ‘Flora of Tropical East Africa’: II. Kew Bull. 24: 235–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waggle, D. H., and C. W. Kolar. 1979. Types of soy protein products.In Soy Protein and Human Nutrition, H. L. Wilcke, D. T. Hopkins, and D. H. Waggle, eds. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, W. 1966. Early Civilization in China. Thames and Hudson, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, J. F. 1970. Breeding soybeans for protein and oil quantity and quality, pp. 103–109.InSoybean Breeding Conference. Ames, IA.

  • Wolf, W. J., and J. C. Cowen. 1971. Soybeans as a Food Source. CRC Press, Cleveland, OH.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agronomy, University of Illinois, USA

    C. A. Newell (Professor of Plant Genetics, Associate Agronomist)

Authors
  1. T. Hymowitz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. A. Newell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hymowitz, T., Newell, C.A. Taxonomy of the genusGlycine, domestication and uses of soybeans. Econ Bot 35, 272–288 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02859119

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02859119

Keywords

Search

Navigation